


Starry Night

by g_odalisque13



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Alternate Universe - High School, Best Friends, Bisexual Female Character, F/F, Fem!Jonghyun, Fem!Kai, Fem!Sehun, Fem!chanyeol, Fem!lay, First Time, Friends to Lovers, High School, Loss of Virginity, Prom, Underage Drinking, fem!baekhyun, fem!onew, fem!xiumin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-07
Updated: 2017-09-07
Packaged: 2018-12-23 01:06:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 23,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11978877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/g_odalisque13/pseuds/g_odalisque13
Summary: [Prompt #G49] Jungah can't imagine going to her senior prom without her best friend, Sehee. Which is why she insists they go together after Sehee's boyfriend breaks up with her a month before the dance. There are other things Jungah can't imagine regarding Sehee, but that's because she doesn't let herself.





	Starry Night

“Look over here!” Joonmyun’s mom called, holding her phone out and aiming it at the group of them.

Obligingly, Jungah looked at her phone as she smiled for the picture. 

There were currently six mothers with camera phones pointed in their direction with a smattering of fathers standing back and enjoying the wine Joonmyun's parents had provided to the adults. 

Jungah had been to a handful of picture parties before the formal dances she had attended during her high school career. 

It was weird to think that this, the picture party before her senior prom, would be her last. There were things about high school that she thought she would probably miss, but picture parties weren't one of them. Posing until her cheeks hurt from smiling was definitely not the highlight of school dances.

Sehee shifted next to her, whispering, “I think my face is going to fall off. I can't smile anymore.”

Jungah snickered, lightly bumping her hip against Sehee’s in solidarity. 

For all of the other dances Jungah had gone to, she had gone with a guy- a friend in most cases, or a boyfriend for junior year homecoming. This time was different, though. Because this time her best friend was her date. Not date… Well, if her male friends had been considered dates, then Sehee should be, too.

Sehee, for all her shyness and her self proclaimed resting bitch face, never had had any trouble finding a date. There had been a year that Sehee had gone to homecoming and Jungah hadn't. But a month before prom, Sehee's boyfriend of almost a year had broken up with her. And promptly started seeing another girl.

Had she wanted to, Jungah was sure that Sehee could have found another guy to go with. But Sehee had kept saying she didn't want to even go while still sounding sad that she wasn't. 

Jungah hated the thought of Sehee at home alone on prom night- regretting missing her senior prom and upset about what had happened with her boyfriend. Moreover, Jungah couldn't imagine going to her senior prom without Sehee. So not having been asked yet, Jungah had suggested they go together.

“You don’t want to go with me,” Sehee had argued. “Wouldn’t you rather go with a guy? You don’t want to have to tell some guy no because you promised to go with me.”

“Yes I do!” Jungah had insisted. “It’s not like there’s any guy I have a crush on or anything. And it’ll be fun! We don’t need _dates_.”

Sehee had been skeptical, but with Jungah continuing to bring it up every day for a week, Sehee had finally agreed. Even if it was just because she wanted an excuse to buy a dress, one of Jungah’s arguments in favor of Sehee agreeing, Jungah was happy that Sehee decided to go with her. They were going to have a great time, and Sehee was going to be glad she hadn’t missed her senior prom, Jungah was sure of it.

“Let’s do couple shots,” Baekhee’s mom suggested, and there was some shuffling as they decided who would go first and everyone except Chanyeon and Kyungsoo stepped out of the way. 

Jungah was glad that, despite Baekhee and Joonmyun being very much together, she and Sehee weren’t the only non-couple pair in their group. Chanyeon and Kyungsoo were somewhat unlikely friends, what with Chanyeon’s penchant for being loud and Kyungsoo’s somewhat short temper. But somehow, they’d been friends since freshman year, and Kyungsoo hadn’t attempted murder Chanyeon even once. 

“You’re so tall,” Baekhee snickered as the two posed for their pictures.

Chanyeon, already half a head taller than Kyungsoo, was wearing heels she could barely walk in and had her towering over everyone in their group. 

“You’re just jealous,” Chanyeon fired back with a playful laugh and a quick tongue stuck out at Baekhee before she went back to beaming for the cameras. 

“Our turn!” Baekhee announced after Chanyeon and Kyungsoo were done being photographed, dragging Joonmyun by the hand over to the spot under the trellis that had been chosen as the best place to stand. 

“Do you think Joonmyun’s face is made of plastic?” Sehee hissed in Jungah’s direction. “His smile doesn’t move.”

Covering a giggle with a hand, Jungah shook her head- composing herself before leaning in to reply. “No. Don’t you remember when we were playing with the karaoke machine in Chanyeon’s basement? Don’t you remember his face when he was singing?”

Sehee collapsed against Jungah’s side as she quietly laughed- hand against Jungah’s back and forehead resting on Jungah’s shoulder. 

They liked Joonmyun, but as the president of their graduating class and general overachiever, he was always a fun target for teasing. And he was a good sport about it, even coming back with the occasional zinger that had them all laughing. 

“You guys are up,” Baekhee told them with a grin, stepping aside with Joonmyun in tow.

Suddenly self conscious, Jungah followed Sehee to the spot under the trellis. How were they supposed to stand? Baekhee and Joonmyun had done the traditional date pose with Joonmyun’s hands resting on Baekhee’s hips. Chanyeon and Kyungsoo hadn't stood like that, but that was probably because it wouldn't have worked with Chanyeon towering above Kyungsoo.

“Who’s the boy?” Baekhee teased.

“Neither of us,” Sehee snapped with a scowl. 

Neither of them looked the part, that was for sure.

Even though they’d gone dress shopping together for all of the dances they’d attended in the past, Sehee had insisted they go separately since they were technically each other’s dates. Dress shopping hadn’t been quite as fun without Sehee, but Jungah had still managed to find something she liked when she went with Baekhee and Chanyeon- a burgundy halter dress that clung to her and gave her a nice shape. It wasn't terribly different than the black dress she’d worn to homecoming that year, but Jungah was just happy she had found a cut that worked for her.

Sehee, on the other hand, looked like a princess or something. That was exactly what Jungah had said to her when she had arrived at the picture party and seen Sehee’s blue gown- fitted down to her calves where it flared out with a frothy fabric that kind of made Sehee look like she was emerging from the sea. She had giggled and flushed a bit at the compliment, swatting weakly in Jungah's direction, and Jungah had all at once been so happy that Sehee was her date. She knew she wouldn't have more fun at prom with anyone else.

“We want to be able to see both your dresses,” Sehee’s mom offered. “Let’s just start with you guys next to each other.”

When they took selfies together, Sehee always complained that she looked like a ghost next to Jungah. But right then, Jungah was feeling a little plain and mortal next to Sehee who seemed to be sparkling. Maybe it was just her shimmery highlight, but Jungah was transfixed, only turning toward the cameras when her mom called for her attention.

The closest they got to couple poses was linking arms for a few shots, and Jungah was not sorry when the parents finally decided they had enough pictures. 

They still had about ten minutes before they had to leave for their dinner reservations, and Jungah rolled her neck as the parents all headed back toward the cheese trays and wine inside. 

“We’re riding with Baekhee and Joonmyun, right?” Sehee asked, sidling up beside Jungah. 

Chanyeon and Kyungsoo were taking Kyungsoo’s dad’s two door, so that wasn't going to be good for dresses.

“Ye-” Jungah started, but was interrupted when Baekhee swooped in as if on cue.

“About that,” she said with a slightly sheepish smile. “We’re probably leaving the dance early because Joonmyun got us a hotel room, _soooo_...”

“Don’t you have to be 21 to get a hotel room?” Sehee challenged with a frown.

“Joonmyun pulled some strings,” Baekhee told her with a grin.

Jungah was pretty sure her mom would let her take the car, lest she and Sehee end up with their night cut short by their horny friends.

“So, let me get this straight,” Sehee said on a sigh. “Our class president is pulling strings to illegally get a hotel room so you guys can fuck.”

“Yep,” Baekhee beamed.

“Politicians really _are_ corrupt,” Sehee deadpanned, and Baekhee just cackled. 

“I’ll ask my mom if we can take the car,” Jungah offered when Sehee shot her a look that begged for a solution. 

“My sister has my mom’s car and you know how how my dad is about his…” Sehee fretted.

“We’ll figure it out,” Jungah promised. “Worst case, we ride to the dance with Baekhee and Joonmyun, and then we find a ride with someone else after.”

“But all of our stuff?” Sehee reminded her, and she had a point. 

They had both brought a change of clothes and their overnight stuff. The official story they told their parents was that they were staying with Minseon. In truth, they had no clue what they were going to do after the dance, but if their parents thought they were going to sleep over at their friend’s house, they essentially had no curfew. Neither of them made a habit of lying or breaking rules, which worked in their favor because their parents had no reason to think they weren’t really going to Minseon’s house. And weren’t they allowed just one crazy night in their high school careers?

“We’ll figure it out,” Jungah said again.

She’d promised Sehee a fun prom night, and she planned to deliver.

 

\---

 

“I didn’t say you could have my garlic bread,” Kyungsoo said on a sigh, voice flat like he already knew he’d lost before he spoke.

Smiling sheepishly, Chanyeon paused with the bread halfway to her mouth. “There are two?” she pointed out hopefully, gesturing to the piece she’d left on Kyungsoo’s plate with the one in her hand. 

Blinking with more understated annoyance than Jungah thought was possible, Kyungsoo sighed again before leaving Chanyeon and the stolen bread be in order to start in on his pasta. 

Baekhee and Joonmyun were laughing about something, Baekhee so far into Joonmyun’s space that she was practically in his lap, and Jungah was politely waiting to start eating until Sehee’s food arrived. 

“You can eat,” Sehee told her, but Jungah could hear the pout in her voice- annoyed that her food was the last to arrive when she’d been the one exclaiming over how hungry she was as soon as they’d been seated.

“I can wait,” Jungah assured her, pressing her clutch against her stomach as though that might muffle the grumble it let out right at that moment.

Having obviously heard it, Sehee snickered, tossing a grin at Jungah along with a quirked brow.

“I can wait,” Jungah repeated, glancing longingly at her chicken parmesan.

Laughing at Jungah, Sehee was startled when her pasta was placed in front of her. 

“Okay, now I can eat,” Jungah announced, eagerly digging into her food.

“Wow, what a good date,” Baekhee observed with a giggle. “Sehee, you might have the best date here.”

Laughing around a mouthful of pasta, hand coming up to cover her lips, Sehee shot Jungah smiling eyes and Jungah smiled back to cover the little thump of her heart.

Because that wasn't something she needed to think about. Having Sehee by her side as her friend was what mattered, and she couldn't imagine her life without her.

When they’d started applying for colleges, Jungah had had a sick feeling in her gut- knowing that she and Sehee were going to end up in different places.  
With Jungah pursuing a liberal arts degree and Sehee wanting to go to school for fashion merchandising, they didn't have any schools that overlapped on their final lists of where they wanted to go.

Sehee had kept googling the distance between schools they were looking at, but Jungah had been too afraid to even hope. She also hadn't wanted to make Sehee think she had to make any decisions for her sake. 

By some twist of fate or divine intervention or sheer chance, one of the two schools Jungah was deciding between was in the same city as the school Sehee had chosen.

Jungah had done her very best to choose the school that would be better for her. But she knew that she was incapable of being entirely objective, and any fears she had that she had made the wrong choice were incinerated when Sehee had squealed happily upon Jungah's declaration of where she had decided to go. So even though they wouldn't be attending classes together and seeing each other every day like they were now, they were going to be about a 45 minute train ride apart, which wasn’t too bad, in the grand scheme of things. 

“This is so good,” Sehee nearly moaned, hand delicately covering her mouth as she looked over at Jungah. “Want to try it?”

Jungah was content with her chicken, but she nodded, spearing a piece of pasta with her fork and taking a bite. 

It was good, and when she said so, Sehee grinned at her.

“You can have my broccoli,” she added sweetly, giggling when Jungah quirked a brow.

It wasn't exactly generous when Sehee hated broccoli, but Jungah helped herself to a stalk anyway.

“Are you gonna eat that?” Chanyeon asked, gesturing to the piece of garlic bread on Kyungsoo’s plate that she hadn’t eaten.

“ _Yes_ ,” Kyungsoo told her emphatically, and Chanyeon deflated. 

Baekhee’s cackle was loud, but it seemed to be in response to something Joonmyun had just whispered to her, and Jungah was very glad that she’d been able to convince Sehee to come with her.

She loved her friends, but it was Sehee she wanted to turn to make a face at before breaking down into giggles.

Lips still turned up and Sehee’s foot knocking against hers under the table, Jungah took another bite of her food.

This may not have been the senior prom she had imagined as a freshman, but she certainly couldn't picture a better one now.

 

\---

 

Jungah couldn’t decide if she felt cheated or not, walking into the venue in which their prom was being held. In all the movies she’d seen, prom had been some ostentatious affair- high ceilings, giant disco ball, talented dj, ice sculptures, even. But it was just some banquet hall- somewhere where a lackluster wedding reception might be held. There was a disco ball, but it was tiny and spilling little blue reflections onto the group of students on the dancefloor. Around the edges of the room were tables covered in white table cloths with some sort of strange centerpiece consisting of dried flowers and sheaves of wheat. 

It was all a lot more mundane than the movies had led her to believe. What was meant to be a life changing, high school defining night was just like any other night with the addition of formal dresses and a new location. But on the other hand, Jungah couldn’t bring herself to care all that much. Anything more, and it certainly would have thrown the night into the realm of the surreal. And Jungah was content to keep the experience firmly grounded in reality as she and Sehee walked in side by side, Chanyeon and Kyungsoo ahead of them, and Baekhee and Joonmyun following behind. 

“Guess this is it,” Sehee said, leaning in to be heard over the music, echoing Jungah’s thoughts. 

“Guess so,” Jungah agreed, trailing after Chanyeon as she made for an empty table. 

As with all other dances in the past, Sehee was looking at the dance floor with mostly disdain- judging the dancing of their classmates and the excess of PDA from some couples. Jungah had to agree that watching people grind in formal wear was not something she enjoyed or wanted to see. 

“This table is ours!” Chanyeon proclaimed as they sat, slapping her clutch down on the tabletop with more force than was necessary.

“What is _in_ that thing?” Baekhee asked on a laugh, eying the bag that seemed to be misshapen by the things stuffed inside.

“Lots of stuff!” Chanyeon put in happily, as though they couldn’t tell. 

Unfastening the closure, Chanyeon upended her clutch and all the contents spilled onto the table with a couple shakes to get it all dislodged. 

Jungah reached out and kept Chanyeon’s shimmery, pink lipgloss from rolling right off the table. 

“Is that mace?” Joonmyun gaped.

“Are you going to mace Kyungsoo if he tries to get handsy?” Baekhee cackled, receiving a glare from Kyungsoo immediately. 

“It’s not for _Kyungsoo_ ,” Chanyeon informed them as though that was obvious. What wasn’t obvious was why she had it at all, but it was Chanyeon, so Jungah wasn’t going to ask. 

“Why do you have a sewing kit?” Sehee asked, picking up the clear plastic box containing six colors of thread and a needle. 

“In case somebody rips something!” Chanyeon beamed. 

“Do you even know how to sew?” Baekhee teased.

“Yes!” Chanyeon exclaimed, defensive. “I took home ec in eighth grade just like you did!”

Sehee snorted, tossing the little box back toward Chanyeon so she could pack it back into her purse with the rest of her things. 

Home economics class had actually been where Jungah had first met Sehee. It had been the second semester of eighth grade, and they’d ended up at the sewing module together. The teacher had had it easy- there were curriculums for each unit on the computers and the two students at each station would go through it together and work as a team to figure out how to complete the hands on assignment. Maybe it was supposed to teach self sufficiency and cooperation, but Jungah thought the teacher certainly enjoyed being able to sit at her desk with a book for the majority of the class.

Jungah and Sehee had both been shy- still were- so it had been a lot of tentative politeness at first. But when Sehee had gotten the thread so tangled in the sewing machine that even the teacher struggled to fix it and figure out how she’d even managed it, the laughter they’d shared had broken the ice. Before they knew it, they were talking about their favorite tv shows and music as they sewed- making plans to hang out over the weekend to go see a movie that they were both interested in. 

And that had been that. They’d been joined at the hip ever since, and they tended to be regarded as a unit when their other friends were making plans and listing off who to invite. Baekhee, Chanyeon, Sehee and Jungah, Minseon…

“You guys are gonna be glad I have all this stuff if something rips!” Chanyeon insisted, holding the flap down forcefully as she snapped the bag closed. 

“If anyone rips my dress, I’ll kill them,” Sehee warned, as though anyone was under the impression that rough housing would be allowed near Sehee’s dress. Though Chanyeon might not be able to help herself. Maybe that’s why she’d brought thread. 

“Wanna go dance?” Jungah asked, glancing around at the others but eyes settling on Sehee. 

“Yes!” Chanyeon exclaimed, already standing up from her chair and pulling at Kyungsoo’s arm. 

“Sure,” Sehee replied with a shrug, getting up when Jungah did and trailing behind Chanyeon and Baekhee who were leading the way toward the dancefloor. 

Unlike most of their classmates, Sehee could actually dance. Jungah, too. They’d both taken dance classes since they were kids, which was another way they’d bonded when they first became friends. 

Jungah felt a little smug when they found a spot and a new song started playing. Sehee swayed her hips, executing a sinuous body roll even in her somewhat constricting looking dress, and Jungah was pretty sure no one else’s date looked that good dancing to whatever terrible remix the DJ had chosen. 

When one of their favorite pop songs came on, Jungah enthusiastically began to lipsync, holding eye contact with Sehee as they danced and Sehee mouthed the lyrics right back at her. 

Jungah couldn’t help the smile that was stretched across her face as they neared the end of the song, the two of them giggling as they attempted to remember the choreography from the music video. 

Sehee’s grin turned into a pout, however, when the song ended and a slow song started. Slow songs were played for the couples, Jungah thought. It was a time for them to have some meaningful eye contact or something, with the excuse to get close. Not that most couples weren’t pressed together during the fast songs too, but…

Stumbling forward, Jungah braced her hands on Sehee’s shoulders to keep herself from fully falling against her and possibly knocking them both to the floor.

A glance behind her revealed a smirking Baekhee who had obviously just pushed her. 

“Just dance,” she told them with a grin when they both looked at her incredulously. 

“But it’s a slow song,” Sehee tried to protest, glancing at Jungah out of the corner of her eye as she scowled at Baekhee.

“So what?” Baekhee argued, grinning at them so her pointy canines showed. “Chanyeon and Kyungsoo are still dancing.”

Looking over in their direction confirmed that they were indeed dancing, albeit awkwardly considering Chanyeon was taller than Kyungsoo in her heels. And also trying to sway far too enthusiastically. 

When Jungah looked back at Sehee, she looked like she was going to resist again until her gaze slid to meet Jungah’s. Jungah shrugged, not really opposed to the idea, but not wanting to force Sehee to dance with her, either. It wasn’t exactly common for two girls to dance together to a slow song, but Jungah didn’t see why they shouldn’t. It was either that or go back to the table to sit down.

Baekhee had already scurried back to Joonmyun, eagerly wrapping her arms around his neck and moving in close as they began to move to the slow beat. 

Sehee lifted one shoulder as she stepped forward in a kind of _why not_ gesture. Jungah had a moment of indecision- not knowing where her hands went. But Sehee rested her hands on Jungah’s shoulders despite being the taller of the two by an inch or so, so Jungah gently placed her hands on Sehee’s waist. 

At dances in the past, Jungah had seen Sehee dance with guys- smiling shyly at them as she locked her hands behind their necks. It was like Jungah had superimposed herself into one of those memories- like she had imagined herself in the position of the guys from the past. There was something so surreal about having Sehee looking at her as they rocked from foot to foot, ducking her head on a soft giggle and readjusting her hands on Jungah’s shoulders. 

“I hope Baekhee is happy,” Sehee murmured, though she didn’t actually seem that perturbed to have given into Baekhee’s urging. 

Following Sehee’s gaze, Jungah watched as Baekhee pressed forward into Joonmyun to whisper something in his ear as his hands squeezed her waist.

“I think she is, but I doubt it has anything to do with us,” Jungah replied. 

Sehee snickered, listing into Jungah slightly as she laughed. 

Jungah felt her neck get hot, feeling their proximity more intensely than she did if they were just flopped on the couch watching a movie or walking close with Sehee’s fingers gripping her arm in a crowded hallway. 

There was a small part of Jungah that wondered if anyone was watching them- if anyone was going to come out of nowhere with a teasing remark about the two of them dancing together. She didn’t really care, herself. But she worried that Sehee would be upset. She didn’t want Sehee to wish she hadn’t agreed to come with her. She didn’t want Sehee to have a disappointing night. 

But that worry was hard to focus on when she felt a little bit like she was in a trance. It was like the swaying was a form of hypnotism- reflected light from the spinning disco ball making her eyes soft focus when she looked at Sehee’s face as the rest of the room dropped away. 

Jungah felt herself huff out a little giggle as their gazes caught, Sehee’s eyes curving in response and her mouth opening like she was about to say something.

The heavy bass as the song switched to something fast and had some of the students cheering almost made Jungah startle, the dizzying lull she had fallen into snapping apart abruptly as Sehee let go of her shoulders and stepped back. 

“Bathroom?” Sehee yelled over the music, and Jungah nodded, following Sehee off the dancefloor and trying to shake whatever feeling was still trying to clutch onto her. 

The two girls who had been in the bathroom were exiting as Jungah came out of her stall, moving to the sink to wash her hands and smiling at Sehee in the mirror as she joined her. 

“Wait, wait,” Sehee said, grabbing onto Jungah’s arm as she started to move toward the door after tossing her paper towel in the trash. “Pictures!”

Jungah wasn’t sure why Sehee wanted to take a picture in the bathroom, of all places. Truth be told, Jungah wasn’t really the type to take selfies in any situation. All the pictures of her and Sehee that existed were because of Sehee. Jungah didn’t really mind though, going along with whatever Sehee had in mind. 

Once, at a sleepover during sophomore year, Sehee had pulled out her phone with a glint in her eye and asked, “Want to take sexy pictures?”

What that entailed, Jungah hadn’t known. Didn’t Sehee have sexy pictures of herself already? Half of her selfies were her making eyes at the camera and pursing her lips. 

Apparently, what Sehee had in mind was a bit more provocative and not so instagram ready.

“Who are these for?” Jungah had asked as Sehee arranged herself on her bed with her shorts riding up and her arms pressed together so her cleavage was impossible to miss.

“Us!” had been Sehee’s immediate and emphatic response. “It’s fun!”

 

Jungah didn’t really need sexy pictures of herself that she wasn’t going to do anything with. But even when she’d tried to tell that to Sehee, saying that she could just take the pictures and not be in any, Sehee had grabbed the phone from her hand and shoved Jungah against a wall- proceeding to position her and roll her shirt up so her midriff was on display. 

“These look so good!” Sehee had exclaimed, scrolling through the gallery on her phone and holding it out so show Jungah her favorites. She did look pretty good, though Jungah didn’t know what the point of having them was. 

Sehee had sent them all to Jungah- the ones of herself and the ones she’d taken as well. Jungah didn’t save them, though. What was she going to do with them? She couldn’t imagine ever wanting to send a picture of herself to someone with her thumb hooked in her sweatpants and her teeth clamped down on her lower lip. It had been kind of fun to take them, but she didn’t need to keep them.

She’d saved one picture of Sehee though- one that she’d taken. It had come out really nicely, she thought- Sehee’s camisole strap drooping and her neck arched as she regarded the camera with intensity. Jungah had felt that gaze all the way down to her bones as she’d taken the photo, knowing that that was going to be a good shot. She was proud of it, was all, so she’d wanted to save it. 

What Sehee had done with the pictures, Jungah didn’t know. Maybe she still had all of them somewhere. Maybe she’d sent some of the ones of herself to her ex. It wasn’t Jungah’s business, so she’d never asked. She knew that Sehee wouldn't have shown any of the ones she took of Jungah to anyone, so beyond that, she didn’t need to know. 

“Come here,” Sehee requested, standing in front of the sinks and gesturing for Jungah to join her. 

Doing as she was told, Jungah let herself be pulled in by Sehee’s arm around her waist. 

“We look really good,” Sehee said, holding up her phone with the hand not resting on Jungah’s hip and meeting Jungah’s eyes in the mirror. 

Jungah nodded, trying to match Sehee’s pout as she looked at the camera in the mirror and held still while Sehee took the shot.

“Dumb one, now,” Sehee instructed, sticking out her tongue and closing one eye. 

Jungah bared her teeth like a growl, and laughed with Sehee after she’d lowered her camera. 

“Perfect,” Sehee said with a grin, checking the photos and holding the display out to Jungah.

They looked really good together, Jungah acknowledged, unable to help the smile as she looked at the pictures.

“Send these to me,” she requested, and Sehee nodded, tapping at her phone as she led the way out of the bathroom. 

Maybe she could make the silly one her wallpaper, Jungah thought, feeling the buzz of her phone in her purse. 

Chanyeon was trying to talk Kyungsoo out of his chair when they got back to the table, each of them sinking into their own seats. 

“I should have gotten shorter heels,” Sehee complained, sticking her foot out from under the table so Jungah could appreciate just how high her heels were. And she really wasn’t kidding- the thin, gold heels looked to be at least four inches and as though they could have poked someone’s eye out. 

“You can take them off?” Jungah suggested, wincing in sympathy, though the look Sehee gave her was scandalized.

“That would ruin the whole look!” she insisted. “I made my commitment to these heels for a reason. My dress won’t look right when I stand up without them. Besides, the floor is gross.”

She was not wrong about the floor.

“How about while we’re sitting?” Jungah offered. “We can relax for a bit. Give your feet a break.”

Sehee seemed skeptical, but she didn’t argue.

“Gimme your feet,” Jungah requested, snickering when Sehee looked at her like she was crazy. “I’m going to take your shoes off.”

Still appearing unsure, Sehee lifted one foot and allowed Jungah to hold it in her lap. With careful fingers, Jungah unbuckled the strap and placed the shoe on the ground.

“Other foot,” Jungah ordered, lips quirking when Sehee giggled and obliged.

Taking off the other shoe, Jungah set it on the floor by their feet and watched as Sehee wiggled her toes and winced.

“Better?” she asked.

“Much,” Sehee admitted on a sigh, laughing as she teasingly lifted her feet like she was going to rest them both on Jungah’s thighs. 

“We can just hang out here for a bit,” Jungah offered, sitting back and smiling at Sehee.

“The DJ sucks anyway,” Sehee replied with a smirk, and Jungah snorted. 

The questionable music choices were not a deterrent to Chanyeon, however, as she expressed the lyrics with her body, and Kyungsoo laughed as he bobbed to the beat next to her.

“Ew,” Sehee muttered next to Jungah's ear, nudging into her side and gesturing to Baekhee and Joonmyun.

Baekhee’s back was plastered to Joonmyun’s front, his hands snugly holding onto her hips as he dipped his head so his mouth was right next to her ear.

“They’re probably whispering about how soon they’re gonna leave to go fuck,” Sehee said, and Jungah felt her nose scrunch in response.

Sehee cackled, listing into her and resting her chin on her shoulder. For as much as Jungah enjoyed dancing, sitting with Sehee like this was just as enjoyable. 

“ _Jungah_.”

Taemin, Jungah's friend since they were four years old, was suddenly in the chair on Jungah's other side.

One look at him and Jungah knew he wasn't sober- eyes unsteady as they tracked her face and his hands clutching the edge of the table like Taemin was experiencing an earthquake no one else could feel.

Jungah didn’t drink, save for once when she’d tried a shot at a party and decided that alcohol tasted like ass. Besides, she’d seen enough of her friends and classmates acting like idiots while drunk that she wasn't exactly eager to follow in their footsteps.

Though not as put off by alcohol as Jungah, Sehee didn’t drink much. The one time she had allowed herself to get beyond tipsy at a party they’d both attended, Jungah had lugged her back to her place and deposited her in her bed. It had been luck that Jungah’s mom had been working the night shift that night because Jungah really didn't think Sehee would have been able to feign sobriety between the front door and Jungah's bedroom. 

“You saved m’life,” Sehee had kept repeating as Jungah had tried to help her out if her skinny jeans so she could sleep.

No matter how many times Jungah assured Sehee that she wasn't and hadn't been dying, Sehee still insisted that Jungah had saved her from certain death.

But at least Sehee had settled and fallen asleep shortly after proclaiming Jungah a hero. 

The next morning, Sehee had had to run for the toilet, but after she had gotten rid of some of the contents of her stomach, she’d called Jungah her hero again. Which Jungah thought was a bit of an overstatement, but appreciated nonetheless. 

After that, Sehee had stuck to her tipsy only rule- a rule that Taemin clearly didn't follow.

“I have been abandoned,” Taemin whined, flopping half on the table and looking at Jungah imploringly. 

“Abandoned?” Jungah parroted, looking around to make sure no chaperones were watching Taemin closely. He would be in so much trouble if he was caught drunk at a school event.

“Junghee den- de- denou…”

“Denounced?” Sehee offered, leaning around Jungah and regarding Taemin with a mix of caution and amusement.

Eyes widening, Taemin pointed at Sehee like she had solved the riddle of the universe.

“Why did Junghee denounce you?” Jungah pressed, trying to keep Taemin on track.

“Because I’m drunk!” Taemin whined, and Jungah heard Sehee snort on her other side.

“You really are too drunk, Taem,” Jungah said on a sigh, quirking a brow when Taemin shot her a wounded look.

“I can’t help it!” he defended pathetically, and Jungah chose not to argue that it was his doing.

Nearly tipping off the chair, Taemin clutched the edge of the table more tightly, and Jungah sighed again because she knew what she needed to do in order to keep Taemin from getting in trouble or ending up passed out on the floor.

“We’ve gotta get you home,” Jungah told him, turning to shoot an apologetic look at Sehee who just shrugged back. 

Taemin looked like he was going to argue, but instead he seemed to melt into the table.

“Don’ave a date anyway,” he mumbled into the tablecloth. 

Jungah stood and heaved Taemin up, stumbling slightly when he lost his balance and tipped into her.

Holding Taemin steady, Jungah watched Sehee hastily fasten her shoes- quirking her lips at Jungah when their eyes met. 

It was with arm draped across Jungah's shoulders and the other being held tight by Sehee’s hands, magenta painted nails digging into his tuxedo sleeve, that they left the dance and crossed the parking lot to Jungah's mom’s car.

A very anti climatic ending to prom, but at least they hadn’t gotten stopped on the way out. Small mercies.

 

\---

 

“An’ stupid Kibum had’ta be all heroic and claim Junghee as his second date,” Taemin ranted from the backseat as Jungah drove him home. 

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Sehee was trying not to laugh. She’d been worried that Sehee would be mad that they had to leave early to cart Taemin home, but at least she seemed more amused than anything. 

“He already has Eunsook,” he went on, flopping back and kicking the back of Jungah's seat. “He doesn't even like girls an’ now he has two! I don't have any! It’s not fair!”

Jungah hummed to show she was listening rather than actually responding. Quite frankly, she couldn't blame Junghee for getting fed up with Taemin and his level of inebriation. Wanting to hang out with Kibum and his date instead seemed entirely reasonable, but Jungah wasn't about to show sympathy to anyone other Taemin. He was drunk and petulant, and Jungah had no desire to get into an argument with him.

“Are your parents home?” Jungah asked as they turned onto Taemin’s street. If they were, Jungah had no clue how she was going to lessen the blow of the fact she was bringing their son home because he was three sheets to the wind.

“Ummmmm…” Taemin mumbled, making an effort to sit up as they neared his house. “They were going to dinner and a movie so…”

Jungah pulled into the driveway, relieved to see the car gone. What would happen when they got home and found Taemin passed out in bed, Jungah didn't know, but at least he’d be safely at home. And she wouldn't have to be there for the fallout. Most importantly, neither would Sehee.

“Just gonna get him inside and up to bed. I’ll be back,” Jungah promised, turning off the ignition and opening the car door.

“Do you need help?” Sehee asked, going for her seatbelt.

“No, I’ll be quick,” Jungah assured her, hoping that that was the truth. She really didn't want to spend a large portion of her evening babysitting Taemin. 

It was by some miracle that Taemin compliantly climbed out of the car at Jungah's urging and stumbled along beside her as she led him inside. He even handled the stairs pretty well as she got him up to his bedroom. 

“I was s’posed to have sex tonight,” Taemin complained as Jungah helped him with his suit jacket before he flopped on his bed.

Jungah, with no desire to know about Taemin’s sex life, didn’t respond. She knew he’d had a thing for Junghee and that they had been flirting for a while, so it was no surprise that he had hoped to have sex with her. But that didn’t mean Jungah wanted to hear about it or think about it. Ever.

“You still can,” Taemin mumbled as Jungah pulled the covers over him.

“Still can what?” she asked as a reflex, trying to get one of Taemin’s legs that had gone rogue under the covers with the rest of him.

“Have sex,” he replied, and Jungah snorted. 

“With who?” she asked, rolling her eyes and helping Taemin as he started to wiggle and try to get comfortable.

“Sehee, duh,” was his response, rolling onto his side and shoving his face into his pillow. 

Frozen, Jungah heard as Taemin’s breathing evened out.

“Why would I have sex with Sehee?” she asked, not surprised when Taemin didn’t answer. She’d been pretty sure he had fallen asleep.

Jungah looked around helplessly, like someone could have possibly overheard that. She wanted Taemin to be awake so she could ask him why he’d said that. She wanted him to wake up so she could deny that that was ever going to happen. But he was fast asleep. And what did it matter anyway?

Letting herself out of Taemin's house, Jungah pushed the half conversation out of her mind. Taemin's drunk ideas were best ignored.

“Sorry about that,” Jungah sighed as she climbed back in the driver's seat. 

Looking up from her phone, Sehee shrugged. “It's fine. Chanyeon texted me and most people are heading out now anyway. She said that she and Kyungsoo are going to Kibum’s party.”

Kibum’s parties were legendary. His parents traveled for work a lot, so they seemed to happen on a monthly basis. Jungah wasn't much for parties, so she had only been to a couple. But at least he managed to keep them relatively under control, and the music was always good. 

“Wanna go?” Jungah asked, not having any other plans. Aside from the fake sleepover at Minseon’s. 

“Yeah, if you do,” Sehee confirmed, glancing over at Jungah as she backed out of the driveway. 

Jungah nodded, and Sehee grinned. 

 

\---

 

“What a luxurious place to change,” Sehee snorted, turning around to grab her overnight bag from the backseat.

Neither of them wanted to go to a house party with lots of people and drinks and sweat in their gowns, so Jungah had pulled over in the most secluded place she could find- the back corner of the library parking lot. 

At the very least, there was a street light a few parking spots away, so they could see what they were doing without having to turn the light on in the car. Which would have had them putting on a strip performance for anyone driving by. 

“Hey, at least it's better than the street in front of Kibum’s house,” Jungah defended, waiting until Sehee had her bag at her feet before reaching into the backseat as well. 

“As if we would have found parking right in front of his house,” Sehee scoffed, as though that had been the point. 

Jungah dug her jean shorts and striped t-shirt, tossing her bag back into the backseat. Lifting up so she wasn't sitting on the fabric, Jungah pulled her dress up so it bunched around her waist. 

“Oh!” Jungah exclaimed after glancing down at her lap. “Aren’t I supposed to get you to take off my garter? Since you're my date?”

Sehee blinked at her, dress unzipped and straps hanging loosely around her shoulders.

“Maybe if I was a guy,” she told Jungah, eyebrows quirked like she was judging her for even asking.

“Don’t be a jerk,” Jungah complained, shoving at Sehee’s shoulder and making her squawk out a laugh. 

“Why did you even get a garter anyway?” Sehee wanted to know. “Isn’t that a couple tradition?”

“Not necessarily,” Jungah defended. “I was with Chanyeon when she went to buy hers, so I just got one, too. And it's not like Chanyeon and Kyungsoo are a couple.”

Sehee opened her mouth to retort before closing it again, shrugging.

“Lemme see,” she finally said, leaning over the center console.

Moving the pooled fabric of her skirt, Jungah felt herself flushing for some reason as Sehee inspected her garter- just simple baby blue silk with a little scalloped lace overlay. 

There had been more ostentatious ones with more lace, brighter colors, and a little bejeweled charm with the year imprinted into the metal. Those were obviously meant for girls going to prom. But Jungah had felt like the one she had chosen was more like what a real garter would be like. It was prettier, too.

“I’ll take it off you,” Sehee said with another shrug and a glance up at Jungah's face.

With any luck, the low lighting hid her blush. Why was she red anyway? It had been her idea. 

Squirming around to get her leg up on the seat, Jungah looked over at Sehee for instruction, but Sehee was staring hard at the lace around her thigh. 

“Uh,” Jungah started, toes curling to dig into the worn leather under her foot.

“You can put your leg over the console,” Sehee suggested, moving over so she wouldn't get kicked in the face in the process.

With her foot kind of in Sehee’s lap, Jungah nearly held her breath as Sehee hooked her fingers under the elastic and slowly pulled the garter down Jungah's leg until it slipped over her foot and Sehee was just holding it in her hand.

“Here you go,” Sehee said, holding out the little scrap of silk and lace for Jungah to take.

“I think you’re supposed to keep it,” Jungah blurted, sure her face couldn't get any hotter.

Sehee stared at her for what felt like an eon before she closed her fingers around the fabric with a nod and stuffed it in her bag at her feet.

Exhaling, Jungah pulled her leg back into her own seat, and shimmied her shorts up under her dress. 

When she deposited her dress into the backseat, her eyes got caught on something that sparkled in the light.

“You have a garter!” Jungah exclaimed, pointing accusingly at the magenta silk wrapped around Sehee’s pale thigh. There was a black lace trim and a charm with the year dangling from the side, and Jungah, previously not a fan of ostentatious garters, changed her mind.

Sehee huffed like she was the victim of several injustices.

“I didn't _buy_ it,” she defended, arms crossed over her chest. 

She was in just a nude bra and a pair of purple underwear, and Jungah wondered if this was close to the wet dreams she assumed most boys had about Sehee. She was stunning. How could they not?

“Then how-”

“Baekhee threw it at my face in anatomy on Monday,” Sehee complained. “And good thing I actually wore it because she felt me up when she got to the picture party to make sure I did!”

That sounded about right, and Jungah snorted, though she was having a hard time looking away from the shadow the scallop of lace was casting on Sehee’s skin.

“You can take it off, I guess,” Sehee said, shrugging like she might have been doing the prom gods a favor, though her eyes were unsure. As though Jungah was going to judge her when she’d already asked Sehee to remove hers.

“Okay,” Jungah agreed, scooting to allow Sehee to drape her long leg over the console and partly onto her lap.

Jungah felt like she should say something before she grasped the silk, but she certainly didn’t know what that was, so she just held onto the garter on both sides and carefully slid it down the smooth skin of Sehee’s thigh.

It took forever, it seemed. Sehee's already long leg stretched to infinity as Jungah carefully dragged the silk-covered elastic down. But suddenly Sehee was folding her leg back into her own seat, and Jungah was left holding the garter. The fact that it was warm from Sehee’s skin felt almost obscene.

“Keep it,” Sehee tossed out airily, bending down to grab her black t-shirt from her bag and pull it over her head. 

Swallowing, Jungah twisted in her seat to tuck it away in the front zipper pocket of her backpack.

What was she going to do with it? She didn't know, but she knew she was absolutely going to keep it. It felt precious, like a priceless memory that might dissipate unless she held on tight.

“Put on your shirt, Jungah,” Sehee snorted, fully dressed and regarding Jungah, still half dressed, with amused judgment. 

Huffing out a laugh, Jungah yanked her shirt over her head and flashed a grin at Sehee.

“Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be for one of Kibum’s parties,” Sehee gusted, and Jungah giggled even though she wasn't entirely sure what that meant. Sehee was much better at parties than Jungah was. 

Either way, they were off- car rumbling to life as Jungah turned the key in the ignition. Only time would tell what the rest of the night had in store for them.

 

\---

 

“Hands off! This isn’t for you!” Kibum shouted the moment Jungah stepped inside the house behind Sehee.

It obviously wasn't directed at her- Kibum was yanking a bottle of some kind of liquor out of the hands of some guy- but it startled Jungah nonetheless. Before she even realized she’d done it, her hands were wrapped around Sehee’s forearm.

“Junghee!” Kibum hollered a second later. “Have you seen Minho?”

“Uh-uh,” Junghee said with a shake of her head, maneuvering around a couple making out. “Maybe he’s- oh hey guys!”

Junghee, a full head shorter than both Jungah and Sehee, had turned her grin on them.

“Welcome,” Kibum offered a second later with a confident quirk of lips when he noticed where Junghee’s attention had gone. “Booze is in the kitchen and dining room.”

“Thanks,” Jungah replied, deciding he didn’t need to know that she wasn’t drinking since she was Sehee’s designated driver. 

“Maybe he’s where?” Kibum asked, turning back to Junghee.

“Outside…?” Junghee replied with a shrug. “I’m just guessing since I haven’t seen him in a bit.”

Kibum groaned as he turned toward the back of the house, presumably to go check outside. Jungah was going to ask Sehee if she wanted anything to drink, but Junghee was smiling at them again. 

“How’s Taemin?” she asked, smile turning apologetic. 

“Asleep,” Jungah told her with a chuckle.

“You ended up taking him home, didn’t you?” Junghee fretted, reaching out and holding onto Jungah’s arms. 

When Jungah nodded, Junghee tipped forward into her with an exclamation of _sorry_ , that was half buried in her shoulder.

“It’s...fine,” Jungah said, glancing at Sehee out of the corner of her eye. Maybe Sehee would know what to do about the human currently attached to her front. But Sehee was just watching, nonplussed. 

“I was just so frustrated with him for getting so drunk at the dance,” Junghee explained, pulling back a little to look Jungah in the face, but still holding on. “I didn’t even think about what he was going to do after I told him off. I should have known he’d go to you. I really didn’t mean for you to have to take responsibility for him.”

Junghee was shooting her the most apologetic puppy dog eyes, and Jungah had to assume that even if she _had_ been mad, they would have melted her.

“It’s fine,” Jungah repeated. “Really.”

“Thank you, though,” Junghee went on, “for making sure he got home okay. You don’t think he hates me, do you? He means well, and I know he didn’t mean to get wasted before they even announced prom king and queen.”

“I’m sure he doesn’t hate you-”

“Oh yeah!” Sehee’s exclamation clipped the end of Jungah’s sentence. “Who won?”

“You left even before _that_?” Junghee wailed, evidently bowled over with guilt anew. 

Someone trying to shoulder their way through the front hall had all three of them getting knocked into by other people mingling, and that seemed to derail Junghee from another round of apologies.

“Yixin won prom queen, and Minho won king,” Junghee told them after they righted themselves again. “I voted for both of them, so I’m happy,” she added with a giggle.

“Me too,” Sehee confessed, sharing a conspiratorial smile with Junghee. 

“ _Junghee_!” 

Kibum, unopened liquor bottle still clutched in his hand, was stalking back toward them with furrowed brows and a pout on his lips.

“Where the fuck is he?” he complained when he got closer. “Did he leave? I can’t find him!”

“I don’t know, Kibum,” Junghee said. “Did you look upstairs?”

“I looked everywhere! Come help me find him,” Kibum whined. 

Junghee sighed before she looked back to Jungah and Sehee.

“Sorry, gotta go,” she told them apologetically. “But I’ll see you later?”

“Yeah,” Jungah promised, though with the amount of people in the house and the difficulty Kibum seemed to be having trying to track Minho down, she didn’t really know if that was true. 

Kibum and Junghee were swallowed by the crowd, and Jungah finally turned to Sehee.

“Do you want a drink?” she asked, mouth right next to Sehee’s ear so she wouldn’t have to yell over the music. 

Sehee nodded. “Do you mind?”

Since Jungah wasn’t drinking.

“No, don’t worry about it,” Jungah assured her, following when Sehee started off toward the kitchen. 

Maybe it was because it was the party after prom, or maybe it was because Kibum was too busy looking for Minho to control the crowd, but the crush of people just between them and the kitchen was insane. Sehee stuck out a hand behind her as they tried to maneuver through the living room, and Jungah gratefully grabbed on. 

As they stepped through the threshold to the kitchen, _finally_ , a mob of cheering guys nearly separated them, but Sehee held tight to Jungah’s hand and yanked her to safety at the last second. 

“Wow,” Jungah gusted, slumping against the counter while Sehee bent over to dig a can of beer out of one of the coolers on the kitchen floor. 

The more fashion conscious of the two of them, Sehee’s jean shorts were high-waisted and a pale blue wash that made them seem almost white, while Jungah’s were just regular denim that sat low on her hips. Once, Jungah had heard some guy complaining that girls’ butts didn’t look good in high-waisted shorts. At the time, she had wondered if that was true. She didn’t avoid them because of that. She just liked the jean shorts she’d been wearing for the past two years. They were comfortable and fit her well. But as she watched Sehee retrieve her beer, she kind of wished she could go back in time and tell that guy that he was crazy. What girls had he seen in high-waisted shorts, anyway? Clearly, he’d never seen Sehee, because-

“Prom queen!” Sehee squealed, straightening up and bouncing over to Yixin who had just entered the room.

Yixin giggled happily as Sehee threw her arms around her and lifted her feet for just a second. 

“Congrats! I voted for you!” she exclaimed, making Yixin cover her dimpled smile shyly and try to wave her off with the other hand. 

Unlike in the movies where the prom queen was some untouchable, popular girl who ruled the school with an iron fist and five inch stilettos, and who was feared more than liked, Yixin was just genuinely _popular_. She was pretty with her long, shiny hair and sparkling smiles, but she was also _nice_. To _everyone_. There were girls who were part of the “popular” crowd and ranked higher on the social ladder in some ways, but they hadn’t won prom queen because, outside of their _cool_ group, no one really cared. 

The prom king in movies was always some meathead who was kind of a jerk, but also decently attractive who served as the arm candy for the terrifying, but gorgeous prom queen. Though Jungah didn’t really know Minho, she had never heard anything bad about him in all four years of high school. He was the school soccer star, undeniably good looking, but also kind and well-liked. 

Once again, real life was a lot less dramatic than the movies. 

“Jungh!” Yixin greeted, making her way over to Jungah’s safe place near the stovetop when Sehee had finally let go. “I didn’t even get to tell you how much I loved your dress! I saw you across the room at prom, and never got a chance to find you!”

Happily accepting the hug from Yixin, Jungah couldn’t help but smile. 

“We actually left early,” she explained when Yixin pulled back. “Taemin was drunk, so…”

“We didn’t even get to see you get crowned!” Sehee added, sidling up to them with a pout. 

With strangers or people she didn’t like very much, Sehee came off cold and uncaring. With some of their friends, Sehee liked acting really cute- whining, pouting, giggling. She was good at it, too. With Jungah…

With Jungah, Sehee was kind of just Sehee. She had her haughty moments and her cute moments, but it all evened out with the Sehee who wasn’t trying to be cute or cool (even though she was both of those naturally). She was the Sehee who teased Jungah and complained about the cold and laughed at weird snippets of conversation they overheard in the hall and zoned out for minutes on end when they were studying on Jungah’s bed. 

There had been a time when Jungah had been kind of envious of Yixin and Minseon because Sehee never tried to act cute around her, but then she realized that she got to see every facet of Sehee’s personality instead of just one or two. And that was even better.

“I’m actually looking for the bathroom,” Yixin snickered when Sehee asked if she’d come in for a drink. 

“Oh!” Sehee exclaimed, stepping up to Yixin’s side. “It’s out that door by the fridge and down the hall on the left.”

“Thank you!” Yixin enthused with a dimpled grin. “See you guys around!”

Sehee cracked open her beer as Yixin disappeared through the aforementioned door, and predictably grimaced after the first sip. 

“Why do you drink beer if you hate it so much?” Jungah asked. She didn’t actually mind the taste of beer all that much, but Sehee _despised_ it. Still, she typically choked down a can or two at parties, wincing until the very last drop.

“Because it’s _sealed_ ,” Sehee explained, taking another swig and scrunching up her nose when she swallowed. “Who knows what’s in the mixed drinks?”

“But Kibum wouldn’t-”

“I know _Kibum_ wouldn’t, but there are a hundred other people wandering around, who knows about all of them?” Sehee argued, and Jungah had to admit that she had her there.

“Good call,” she acquiesced, and Sehee raised her eyebrows during her next swig as though to say _I told you so_. 

A group burst into the kitchen, one of them lunging for the sink and-

“Wanna go see who else is here?” Sehee suggested, grabbing Jungah by the hand and already tugging her toward the exit. 

“Yeah,” Jungah replied immediately, shuffling along behind Sehee as she led the way toward the dining room. 

There was a remix of some indie band playing, bass thumping and making the wall by the speakers vibrate against Jungah's palm when she put a hand out to catch her balance.

It was always kind of bizarre to see her classmates whom she wasn't close with outside of school. There were quite a few greetings tossed her way to which she replied, but she didn't have much of an interest in actually stopping to chat. Apparently Sehee felt the same because she kept going, leading Jungah past a girl from their history class holding court near the head of the dining room table, past a guy Jungah knew from lit who was shotgunning a beer, and past a group playing flip cup whom they’d hung out with a few times as underclassman

It was when they were at the edge if the living room that Sehee finally stopped at an exclamation of her name.

“Hey Jungah,” Minseon said with a gummy smile, arms wrapped around Jongdae's shoulders from behind and cheek resting against the back of his neck. 

Unwinding one arm, Minseon reached out and poked the slice of skin visible between the top of Sehee's shorts and her black crop top.

“ _Stop_ ,” Sehee whined, batting the hand away as Minseon laughed. 

“How have you guys been getting on tonight?” Jongdae asked, reaching up to twine his fingers with Minseon’s when she draped her arm back over his shoulder. 

“Pretty good,” Jungah offered, not letting go of Sehee's hand even though they were standing still. “How about you guys?”

“Great,” Minseon grinned. “Prom was pretty fun, and I think everyone in our whole class is here!” She laughed.

Obviously, that wasn't true, but it _did_ feel that way.

“I’m surprised you guys are still here,” Sehee commented, getting twin looks of confusion from both of them. “Baekhee and Joonmyun left early to go have sex in a hotel.”

Jongdae barked out a surprised laugh (probably more due to Sehee saying it so plainly, and not because he was shocked about Baekhee and Joonmyun’s activities), and Minseon cackled.

“That’s later,” she assured them, pulling her hips back and thrusting them forward lewdly. She had a surprisingly dirty sense of humor, but Jungah thought it was safe to say that she was a bit tipsy as well. 

“What’s going on back there?” Jongdae teased, trying to crane his neck to see what Minseon was doing.

“You don’t need to know,” Minseon taunted with a giggle, leaning forward to press her cheek against Jongdae's nape again. 

Sex after prom. The concept was ubiquitous. Even moreso, the trope of losing one’s virginity on prom night. 

During a sleepover at the beginning of freshman year, they’d vowed to tell each other every detail when they, possibly inevitably, lost their virginities after prom. 

At the time, Sehee had had a crush on an upperclassman, and Jungah had been having a momentary lapse in judgment wherein she thought she might like Taemin as more than a friend. Fortunately, she’d come to her senses a mere week later, and Taemin was none the wiser. But she and Sehee had stayed up half the night, laying on their bellies in their sleeping bags and whispering about how the night ought to play out. 

It was embarrassing to think of now. Especially since it had been _Taemin_ she’d been thinking of at the time. Plus, Sehee had already lost her virginity to her ex, and Jungah was clearly not on the cusp of losing hers. 

But it was okay that things hadn't turned out how she had planned when she was fourteen. Her prom experience was pretty far from what she might have expected, but not in a bad way. Going with Sehee had turned out to be a blast, and it wasn’t like there was some guy she wanted to have sex with.

Resting an arm on Jungah's shoulder, Sehee leaned in.

“Wanna dance?”

Minseon was already dragging Jongdae toward the mass of moving bodies in the center of the living room where the furniture had been shoved against the wall. 

At her nod, Sehee grabbed her hand and led her around the back of the group of dancing people to find a spot that wasn't the first thing people would see when they walked in. They were both better dancers than most of the others moving to the music, but that didn’t mean Jungah wanted to be stared at.

The song playing was a dance remix from some European electropop singer, and Jungah was moving to the beat before she even realized it. With a quirk of her lips, Sehee stepped forward and rolled her hips- one hand landing on Jungah's shoulder.

It was easy to fall into sync with Sehee, bodies swaying together with an ease Jungah wasn't sure whether to attribute to her dance background or how close she and Sehee were. 

By the time the song changed, they were close enough that their bodies nearly brushed as they moved- thighs slotted together and Jungah's left hand on Sehee’s waist. 

It was too easy, too natural, to worry about the looks they were getting. Jungah could feel the lustful stares of some of the guys around them, but she couldn't help that she and Sehee looked good together. 

The beat throbbed through her as her hand tightened on Sehee’s waist- the feel of her muscles undulating just as heady as the music pounding in her temples. It was like she had lifted to another plane of existence as they danced, like she was the one who had chugged a beer, and not Sehee. Jungah couldn't even register anything beyond the feel of Sehee’s bare thigh brushing against her own and the little smiles they shared when their eyes caught. 

Heat slithered down her spine, sweat beading at her hairline. It was getting too hot. So many people, pressed so close to Sehee, the skin of Sehee’s forearm pressed against the side of her neck. Jungah was starting to feel a little dizzy, body pulsing with the beat. Hands tightening on Sehee’s waist, Jungah leaned in to get her mouth near Sehee’s ear. The scent of Sehee's perfume, like vanilla frosting, only had her head spinning more.

“It’s hot in here,” she croaked, feeling like she was trying to speak underwater.

Sehee’s eyes met hers, and Jungah swallowed as Sehee leaned in. 

“Wanna go outside for a bit?”

Jungah nodded, captivated by the sheen of sweat on the bow of Sehee’s upper lip.

Her hands were on Sehee’s shoulders as she followed her through the crowd and to the sliding glass door that led to the backyard.

It was warm outside, but the nighttime breeze felt heavenly after the stuffy air of a house packed full of people. Jungah slid the door shut behind them, and the loud voices of the clusters of people outside were quiet in comparison to what they’d just left.

“It _was_ really warm in there,” Sehee agreed, leaning back against the brick of the house next to Jungah. 

The breeze was a relief, and it was a bit easier breathe out here, but Jungah's head was still spinning a little.

Nodding, Jungah closed her eyes as she rested her head against the wall. Maybe she just needed to catch her breath.

“You aren't ready for bed yet, are you?” Sehee exclaimed, and when Jungah opened her eyes to deny that, Sehee's face was _right there_ \- dyed blonde hair still in its updo and shining under the porch lights, mascara just barely smudged, and lips just slightly parted.

Jungah must have been dehydrated. She hadn’t had anything to drink since dinner. Surely that was why she felt so light-headed and off-balance.

“No, I’m fine,” Jungah got out, mouth feeling dry and pulse thrumming in her ears. “Just resting.”

“Thank god,” Sehee exulted on a huff as she moved out of Jungah’s space to lean both shoulders against the brick. “Because it’s only after eleven and we don’t actually have a place to sleep tonight.”

Jungah laughed, feeling steadier as she looked out across the backyard. 

“Hey, look,” she said, nodding out toward the gazebo set back from the house. “Kibum found Minho, after all.”

The two seemed to be passing the liquor bottle Kibum had been carrying around between them, Minho chuckling at something Kibum was saying before Kibum barked out a laugh loud enough that they heard it from where they were standing. 

“Dreams do come true,” Sehee said wryly, tipping her head to the side to rest against Jungah’s shoulder.

“Who’s sleepy, now?” Jungah teased, but before Sehee could get out more than an _I_ , the sliding door was opening beside them and then shutting with a bang.

“ _There_ you guys are!” Chanyeon exclaimed, standing in front of the two of them and resting her hands at her hips. “I texted both of you!”

“Too loud to hear our phones,” Sehee said around a yawn, and Jungah wondered what Sehee had been about to say that argued in favor of her being awake. 

“Well, I’m glad I found you,” Chanyeon enthused, beaming at each of them in turn, “because Kyungsoo and I are gonna drive out to the beach! Wanna come?”

“The beach?” Jungah dumbly repeated, trying to remember if Chanyeon had said anything about this plan before. 

“But it’s, like, an hour and a half away,” Sehee pointed out, lifting her head off Jungah’s shoulder to frown at Chanyeon.

“So?” Chanyeon challenged. “It’ll be really fun! And it’s prom night! We should make the most of it!”

Sehee looked at Jungah, and Jungah shrugged at her. If Sehee wanted to go, she would drive them. But if she didn’t, that was fine, too.

“We don’t have bathing suits with us, though,” Sehee said. “And we can’t go home now to get them or else our parents are gonna wonder why we aren’t at Minseon’s and what we need bathing suits for at midnight.”

Chanyeon’s brows furrowed exaggeratedly. “You can buy one?”

“It’s _midnight_ ,” Sehee repeated.

“I think Target is open 24 hours…” Chanyeon tried, smiling at them hopefully.

Sehee looked at Jungah. Jungah looked back and shrugged.

“Do you…?”

“Works for me.”

“Yay!” Chanyeon cheered, pulling both of their attention back to her.

Apparently they were going to the beach. 

And why not? As Chanyeon said, it was prom night, so they might as well make the most of it.

 

\---

 

“There are, like, a thousand bathing suits,” Sehee observed, staring at the racks and racks and _racks_ of swimsuit tops, bottoms, and one-pieces. 

The florescent lighting had Jungah squinting after driving in the dark, and the large selection seemed daunting. She hadn’t really imagined this as a full-on shopping trip as much as just a quick errand. But Sehee was already examining an orange, crocheted bikini top, and Jungah didn’t even know where to start. It was also midnight, and she barely liked shopping at noon. 

For some reason, though, there were _other_ people in the store. She’d assumed there’d be a couple, but there were kind of a lot. What was everyone doing here _now_? Not that she was one to talk as she examined a green and blue pair of bikini bottoms. 

“It doesn’t _really_ matter what we get, right?” Jungah asked hopefully, noting with some fear that Sehee was already holding two swimsuit tops and two bottoms in her hand. “We already have bathing suits at home, so even if what we buy isn’t perfect-”

“I want to at least _like_ it, though,” Sehee argued, crouching down to examine a pair of floral bottoms. “I mean, I’m spending money on it. I don’t want to only wear it once.”

That was valid. But Jungah also really, _really_ hated bathing suit shopping. 

As Sehee added the flowered suit to her pile, Jungah knew that it was inevitable. They were shopping and she was going to have to try things on. 

At least it was with Sehee, though. Sehee had been the one to drag her swimsuit shopping the summer before when Jungah kept complaining that her old one was too small. And she’d gotten through that relatively unscathed. Surely this wouldn’t be too bad. 

However, as Jungah stepped out of the dressing room with her underwear visible under a pair of bottoms with teeny flowers and her boobs nearly coming out of the matching top, she was reminded of why shopping was so painful. 

“Your boobs are so unfair!” Sehee wailed, and Jungah tried not to think about the fact that the dressing room attendant almost definitely heard that. 

“I know. This is a medium,” Jungah complained. “Why is it still too small?”

“No, I mean unfair to _me_ because they’re nice,” Sehee corrected her, looking almost embarrassed when Jungah looked at her in surprise. “I mean, I wish mine were bigger. And this top isn’t doing anything to help them.” 

The turquoise halter had a high neck so there was no cleavage, but Sehee’s back was still nearly bare with just a thin tie, and the bottoms were ruched along the back so it didn’t even nearly cover her butt. Of course, she was wearing her underwear underneath, so it was purple underwear Jungah was looking at and not skin, but still. The suit was far from conservative. And Sehee didn’t need any boob enhancements anyway. She always looked great. 

“That color is really nice on you, though,” Jungah told her, watching in the mirror as Sehee tried to push her boobs up by shortening the strap around the neck.

“Thanks,” she said distractedly. “Don’t think I’m sold though. Gonna try another.”

“Me too,” Jungah replied with a sigh. One down, three...four more to go.

 

\---

 

“ _The taste of your poison paradise_ ,” Jungah and Sehee both sang at the top of their lungs as they careened down the highway. 

Sehee had her ipod plugged in, and after listening to a couple of current hits, Sehee had put on a pop song from their childhood with a mischievous tilt to her lips, and they had been shamelessly singing along to bubblegum pop that had come out when they were kids ever since. 

After forty grueling minutes of trying on bathing suits, they had both found one decent enough to spend money on, and they were finally in the road. 

A few texts with Chanyeon revealed that she and Kyungsoo were nearly to the beach already, while Jungah and Sehee were still 45 minutes away. But even though it was the middle of the night, time didn’t really matter, and Chanyeon had assured them that they planned to stay for a while. 

It was like they had left the plane of reality and were existing in a vacuum where the passage of time didn’t even exist. Their everyday lives didn't exist. All that existed was them and the night, and it was an intoxicating feeling. 

After a few more energetic singalongs, Sehee put on a new pop album she wanted Jungah to hear and leaned back in her seat with a yawn. 

One minute, Sehee had been telling Jungah that the song that had just started was her favorite, and the next her face had gone slack- eyes shut, lips parted, and head nestled against the window. 

Jungah turned the volume down a little and glanced from the road illuminated by her headlights to Sehee's sleeping face, unable to keep the her lips from tugging up in a soft smile. 

Naturally, she was a little jealous that Sehee got to nap and she didn’t, but mostly she was just glad that Sehee could rest a little before they got there. She always looked so peaceful when she was sleeping- so sweet.

Jungah had first realized it the night after Sehee had bombed a trig test. Sehee had been struggling in the class, and she’d gotten a bad score on a test for the second time that semester. Sehee’s parents weren’t expecting her to be valedictorian or anything, but they did expect her to maintain a good grade point average, so the less than stellar performance in her trig class had them disappointed.

The exam and Sehee’s frustration and disappointment in herself had come up during lunch that day- Sehee just poking at her sandwich with her then-brown hair hanging like a curtain around her face with her head bowed- so Jungah knew that she was upset about it. What she hadn’t expected was Sehee buzzing up to her apartment at nine o’clock at night with a wavering voice. 

Jungah had been able to tell that Sehee had been crying when she opened the door for her, stepping aside to let Sehee shuffle inside, toeing off her shoes and making for the couch like she lived there. But with the amount of time she spent there, it was close enough to the truth. 

That night, Jungah’s mom had been working the night shift, so they’d stayed awake talking until after two in the morning, TV only providing light in the otherwise dark living room and white noise that neither of them was paying attention to. When Sehee had finally dropped off around two thirty, exhausted from the day she’d had, Jungah had found herself just smiling as she looked at Sehee’s peaceful face. She was so glad that Sehee had finally calmed down enough to relax, and she was happy to have been able to help, even just a tiny bit. 

Jungah had ended up covering Sehee with a blanket and curling up in the chair nearby to sleep, not wanting to go to her room in case Sehee woke up and felt abandoned. 

Driving to the beach with Sehee napping in the passenger seat was an entirely different situation, but Sehee sleeping was still cute and it still made Jungah smile. 

The song changed and Jungah yawned, looking out at the nearly empty road. Even though Sehee was sleeping, Jungah was glad for her company.

 

\---

 

“ _Holyshitit’scold_ ,” Sehee gasped as the water lapped at her feet. 

Kyungsoo had parked as close to the water as he could and left the headlights on, so Jungah could see the way Sehee’s skin pebbled as she stood stock still with her arms tight to her sides and her muscles tense. 

“It’s not that bad once you get used to it,” Chanyeon assured her, ponytail damp from the dip she’d taken before they arrived. 

“How did you get all the way in?” Sehee grumbled, taking one step and wincing as the water hit her ankles.

“It’s fine,” Chanyeon told her with a grin. “Come on!”

With that, she sloshed into the water until she was up to her thighs, turning around and gesturing for Sehee and Jungah to follow her. 

“She’s fucking crazy,” Kyungsoo said with a shake of his head, though his hair was wet as well, so clearly he’d also gone in the whole way. 

Jungah shuffled through the cool, dry sand until the sand under her feet was wet and packed tight. Then a wave came in and covered her feet, and she yelped. 

“I told you!” Sehee exclaimed, arms crossed over her chest. 

Chanyeon squatted down until the water was up to her clavicles. “Don’t be chicken!”

“I’m not chicken,” Sehee argued, up to her calves. “I’m just fucking freezing.”

Laughing, Chanyeon stood up and bent over to get her arms in the water. Then before Jungah or Sehee could react, she was bringing them up and out and sending water through the air in their direction. 

Fortunately, most of it landed short of its targets, but a few droplets got Sehee and she squealed in response.

“I will kill you!” she yelled, kicking the water with her foot and getting nowhere near Chanyeon. 

Chanyeon crept closer, grin speaking of nothing but mischief. 

“Don’t you fucking _dare_!” Sehee threatened, last word coming out as a shriek when Chanyeon splashed her again and, this time, managed to leave her dripping from the shoulder down. 

Jungah gaped, wondering what Sehee was going to do, and wasn’t at all ready for the cold splash that hit her front and made her squeak.

Chanyeon moved away in case Jungah was ready to retaliate, but she was frozen from surprise. 

“You are in for it,” Sehee promised, stalking after Chanyeon and sloshing water toward her. 

Squawking, Chanyeon tried to run, but ended up careening forward and landing in the water with a giant splash that got Sehee and Jungah both. But it was worth it when Chanyeon came up sputtering and laughing, looking like a drowned pigeon. 

The water fight lasted until they were all soaked to the bone and shivering, Kyungsoo looking at them all like they were nuts when they finally emerged from the water and scurried toward their towels. 

“I would not be surprised if you all were out sick on Monday,” Kyungsoo observed, towel casually around his neck as he watched them all hastily dry off. 

“You got in before, too!” Chanyeon defended, scrubbing at her hair and leaving it a tangled mess.

“Because you pushed me in!” Kyungsoo retorted, and Chanyeon cackled- clearly not sorry in the slightest. 

Even after drying off and with her towel wrapped around her, Sehee’s teeth were chattering, and Jungah was pretty chilly herself. So it seemed natural and open her towel and wrap her arms around Sehee from behind. That way, Sehee got two towels keeping her warm, and they both got the body heat. 

“This has been the best prom ever,” Chanyeon enthused, towel around her shoulders and headlights throwing her features into stark relief. 

“What other proms are you comparing it to?” Sehee asked dryly, and Chanyeon laughed. 

“None,” she informed them with a grin. “Just all the other ways it could have gone that would have made it not the best. What if it rained? What if one of my heels broke at the dance? What if Jungah had gone with Minhyuk?”

Jungah felt Sehee tense against her front, and she felt her stomach drop. She hadn’t told Sehee she’d been asked on purpose because Sehee would have made her go with him and stayed home like she had been planning. And Jungah hadn’t wanted that to happen. Not that there was anything wrong with Minhyuk. In another situation, it could have been fun going with him to a dance. But she’d wanted to go with Sehee, so she had told him she already had plans. Jungah hadn’t told Chanyeon it was a secret because it really wasn’t a big deal. But at the same time, Jungah had really been hoping that Sehee wouldn’t find out. 

“Why would you have gone with Minhyuk?” Sehee asked, stepping out of Jungah’s arms so she could turn and look at her. 

“He asked me,” Jungah admitted quietly, pinned by Sehee’s stare. 

“So why didn’t you go with him?” she pressed, tone serious.

Jungah shrugged even though she knew exactly why she hadn’t gone with him. “We had already decided to go together so…”

“You still could have gone,” Sehee argued, lips pulling down and brows furrowed. “I’m not a real date. I didn’t want you turning down a guy for me.”

“But I wanted to,” Jungah tried, knowing that she didn’t sound as sure as she was. Because Sehee staring her down like she’d done something awful was making her nervous, and she just wanted Sehee to stop frowning at her. 

“You should have told me and gone with him,” Sehee muttered, turning away from Jungah and facing the water. 

Jungah didn’t know what to say. She wanted to try to explain herself, so Sehee didn’t think Jungah had missed out on some great opportunity, but she could feel Chanyeon’s and Kyungsoo’s eyes on her, and she felt like pressing the issue now would only make it worse.

 _Sorry_ , Chanyeon mouthed at her when she glanced over, but Jungah shook her head. It wasn’t Chanyeon’s fault. Jungah really should have told Sehee. Maybe if she’d told her earlier, she wouldn’t have reacted like she did.

“Well,” Kyungsoo said when the silence had stretched on so long that the sound of the waves was almost becoming overwhelming, “we should probably head out. You guys don’t have to, but I want to get the car back before my dad wakes up early to go golfing in the morning and wonders where the hell it is.”

“Thanks for coming to hang out with us,” Chanyeon said, not nearly as exuberant as she had been. 

Jungah watched Sehee nod in Chanyeon’s direction, stomach twisting uncomfortably with the fact that Sehee still hadn’t looked at her.

“We should go, too,” Sehee replied, making for the car without even glancing at Jungah.

“See you guys on Monday,” Jungah said robotically, ignoring Chanyeon’s concerned look and following Sehee to the car. 

The silence was even worse in there.

Not knowing what else to do, Jungah started the car and pulled out of her parking spot. 

By the time they were back on the highway and Sehee was still quiet, Jungah was wondering if she should try to say something. But finally Sehee spoke.

“You could have gone with Minhyuk,” she said softly, petulant edge to her voice. 

“But I already told you I’d go with you,” Jungah argued, and immediately knew she’d said the wrong thing when Sehee glared at her. 

“You didn’t have to go with me,” Sehee replied more forcefully. “I’m not a charity case. The last thing I wanted was for you to forfeit an actual date for me.”

Sehee crossed her arms in front of her and sunk back, turning away from Jungah like she wished she could just vanish out of the car completely. 

“I don’t think you’re a charity case!” Jungah gaped. “That’s not why I told him no!”

It was still Sehee’s wet hair she was talking to, but Jungah kept going.

“I wanted to go with you,” she said with as much finality as she could muster. “I couldn’t imagine going to senior prom without you. I didn’t want you to miss it and regret it. But I also didn’t want to go to prom without my best friend.”

At the very least, Sehee was looking at her again.

“Of course I wanted to make sure you were okay after...everything, but I wouldn’t have asked you to come with me if I didn’t want to go with you,” Jungah insisted. “I mean, hasn’t it been fun? Chanyeon was right. It really was the best prom.”

“But you could have had fun with Minhyuk…”

“Not as much fun,” Jungah told her, shaking her head. “I couldn’t have gone bathing suit shopping with Minhyuk.”

That startled a laugh out of Sehee, and Jungah smiled, tension in her chest loosening. 

They shared a grin, and Jungah wished that she could have kept eye contact longer instead of having to go back to looking at the road. 

“I just,” Sehee started, sobering. “Are you sure? I don’t want to hold you back…”

“You never hold me back,” Jungah was quick to assure her. “You are the one who gets me to do stuff!”

“Like what?” Sehee asked, turning toward Jungah in her seat, so Jungah could see her curious gaze in her periphery.

“You dragged me to that party freshman year where they played spin the bottle,” Jungah blurted out, and Sehee sputtered out a laugh. It hadn’t been something Jungah had thought of recently, and Sehee probably hadn’t either, but if Sehee thought she was stunting Jungah’s growth in the romance department, she was mistaken.

“I didn’t know they were going to play spin the bottle,” she defended.

“My first kiss was because of you!” Jungah accused, laughing along when Sehee cackled.

“I guess I should get some credit for that,” she conceded.

“Exactly,” Jungah proclaimed. “Not holding me back. At all.”

“Alright, alright,” Sehee acquiesced. 

Jungah breathed out, lips pulled up in a grin and stomach untangling itself from the knots it had been in. Never had she thought of Sehee as a charity case. She might not have initially realized just how amazing it would be to go to prom with Sehee as her date, but now that she was living it, she absolutely knew that there was no one else on earth she would rather be with. Hopefully Sehee knew that, too.

 

\---

 

“Hafta pee, hafta pee,” Sehee was chanting as Jungah pulled into a rest stop off the highway.

“Don’t pee in the car!” Jungah snickered, pulling up to a gas pump. “I’m gonna get gas, and I’ll meet you inside.”

Sehee had her clothes with her when she jogged toward the building since they were both still in their soggy swimsuits. It would be an opportunity to change back into dry clothes, as well as get a past-midnight snack. 

By the time Jungah had filled up the tank and parked the car, Sehee was already eying the menu of the McDonald’s that was inside. 

“I’m gonna change,” Jungah told her, reaching into her purse and pulling out a couple of crumpled bills. “Will you get me a burger, fries, and a small drink?”

“I guess,” Sehee teased with a sigh, taking the bills and laughing as Jungah jokingly shoved at her shoulder. 

It felt good to get out of her clammy swimsuit and into dry underwear, and Jungah could feel her stomach rumbling at the thought of food by the time she was headed back to find Sehee.

“Just in time,” Sehee grinned as Jungah rounded the corner, setting the plastic tray on a table near the window. The darkness outside beyond the lit parking lot was only cut by the headlights of cars going by on the highway, and Jungah wasn’t sure she’d ever been at a rest stop this late before.

“I’m starving,” Jungah confessed, sitting down and immediately unwrapping her burger. 

“You said you weren’t hungry when I asked if we could stop for the bathroom!” Sehee accused, chair scraping loudly on the floor as she sat down. 

“But after smelling it…” Jungah explained, cutting herself off to take a bite. 

Sehee snickered, opening her box of nuggets and digging in as well. 

Never had McDonald’s tasted so good.

And even though they were eating fast food at a rest stop of questionable cleanliness, it felt like an adventure. It felt like something Jungah would remember for a long time.

“If we really do end up sick,” Sehee said around a fry, “I’m gonna kill Chanyeon.”

Jungah chuckled, too caught up in their timeless vacuum to worry about what would happen in the real world. 

“What are a couple of pretty girls doing all the way out here so late?”

She and Sehee weren't really in a vacuum. Life was still happening around them. The man with a couple days worth of stubble and a baseball hat watching them with a smile on his face was proof of that.

“Eating,” Sehee blandly replied, barely even looking at the intruder before popping the last nugget in her mouth and ignoring him completely.

“It's not everyday I’m so lucky to see girls so beautiful when I stop for gas in the middle of the night,” he went on. 

Jungah didn't know what to do, glancing at the man briefly before looking back at Sehee who was finishing off her fries and paying him no mind. She just wanted him to go away, and she felt like she could feel his eyes on her.

“You’re not going to talk to me?” the man continued when neither of them acknowledged him. “Come on. I’m a nice guy. No need to be like that.”

“Finished?” Sehee asked, eyes on Jungah and voice clipped.

Blinking dumbly, Jungah looked down at her half eaten fries.

“Bring your fries,” Sehee instructed, gathering their trash on the tray and standing up.

Picking up her drink and fries, Jungah hastily followed Sehee to the trash and then toward the exit when she’d deposited their tray.

“I’m just trying to talk to you,” the man cajoled, though Jungah could sense the annoyance beneath his overly nice tone. “You shouldn’t ignore someone who is just trying to be friendly.”

He kept pace with them until they got to the exit, and then Sehee stopped and rounded on him, almost causing Jungah to slam into her.

“But we don’t want to talk to you, so what you’re doing now is harassment,” Sehee told him, voice firm and her features as severe as Jungah had ever seen them. “If you follow us outside, I’ll call the police.”

Linking her arm with Jungah's and not reacting to the utterance of _bitch_ , Sehee dragged Jungah out the door and across the parking lot. It was with relief that Jungah realized the man wasn't following them, though she was still quick to slam the door behind her when she climbed into the car- relaxing when she heard the click of the locks after Sehee had closed her door as well. 

Her fries and drink went in the cup holders in the center console before she started the car, still on edge as she pulled out of her parking spot and merged back onto the highway.

“What a fucking creep,” Sehee spat, buckling her seatbelt and shivering to show her disgust. 

“Yeah,” Jungah agreed, still reeling. “Thanks.”

“For what?” 

“Taking charge and telling him off,” Jungah explained. “I didn’t know what to do.”

Sehee shrugged. “I was pissed at him.”

Jungah knew it was more than that- knew that Sehee had kept them safe, too. 

Even though she was just as shy as Jungah, Sehee was good at rising to the occasion when she needed to. When Jungah was left frozen and unsure, Sehee leapt into action and did what needed to be done. She had Jungah’s back, and always had. 

Jungah's parents had gotten a divorce sophomore year, and Sehee had been the sole reason that Jungah hadn’t gone totally insane.

When Jungah had mentioned that her dad was moving out the coming Saturday, Sehee’s immediate reply had been, “Stay with me this weekend.”

So, on Friday, Jungah had gone home from school with Sehee and stayed at her house until Sunday evening. Watching movies all curled up in Sehee’s double bed had been much more fun than listening to her parents argue over who got what.

A little shy of a year later when Jungah and her mother had had to move out of their small house and into an apartment at the edge of town, Sehee had announced that she was staying the night.

“It’s not officially your room until I’ve slept over,” Sehee had reasoned, making Jungah giggle, though she couldn't disagree. 

She had brought over fairy lights and helped Jungah string them up around the perimeter of the room, offering Jungah her opinion on what posters she should put up and where. 

After their decorating, the room had certainly started to feel homier. But it hadn't been until the two of them were crammed into Jungah's twin bed that it really felt like home.

“My bitch face comes in handy, I guess,” Sehee said with a shrug and a chuckle, eyes on the road illuminated by the headlights. “Gets perverts to go away.”

“Very true,” Jungah conceded, and Sehee glanced over at her- eyes curved in a smile as she laughed.

“So, you are admitting I have a bitch face?” Sehee teased, poking Jungah’s arm.

“Not all the time,” she argued, and Sehee cackled, smacking Jungah on the shoulder.

It was past two in the morning, and Jungah didn't even know where she was driving aside from back in the direction of their town. But that was okay. Everything was okay, because she had Sehee’s grin directed at her.

 

\---

 

“Is Baekhee kidding?” Sehee squawked, squirming in the passenger seat so she was sitting up a bit straighter as she waved her phone around.

“What’d she say?” Jungah asked. They were nearly back into town, and thinking about going to hang out in the treehouse in the woods behind Sehee's house for lack of any other place to go.

“She said: _Are you guys still out? Think you could pick up some condoms for us and drop them at the hotel?_ And then she said thank you with a million k’s and u’s.”

“She wants us to pick up condoms?” Jungah gaped. “What are you texting back?”

“I’m asking if she’ll pay us back,” Sehee informed her. “Condoms are _expensive_.”

Sehee knew that better than Jungah did. Jungah had never had any need to buy condoms before. 

The day Sehee had come over and collapsed on Jungah's bed, giggling as she’d confessed that she’d lost her virginity, was permanently engraved in Jungah's memory.

“Technically,” Sehee had gone on to say. “I pretty much haven’t been a virgin for six months.”

Six months earlier, Sehee had texted Jungah to tell her that she had given her first handjob and gotten fingered in return.

The sick feeling in the pit of her stomach hadn't made sense to her at the time, but by the time Sehee was telling her about losing her technical virginity, she had a better idea.

But she had still wanted to be happy for her because Sehee was happy. At that time, Sehee had been blissful about her relationship and giddy when she told Jungah about the milestones she and her boyfriend reached. So Jungah had been supportive even though it ached in ways she didn’t want to think about.

“She’ll pay us back,” Sehee announced a minute later after her phone _pinged_. “What do you say? Walgreen’s trip? I kinda want gummy bears, anyway.”

“Why not?” Jungah responded, and Sehee laughed.

Their night was turning into quite the adventure.

 

\---

 

“Come on,” Sehee said after selecting a bag of gummy bears and another of sour gummy worms. “They’re by the tampons and adult diapers.”

“Sexy,” Jungah remarked, and Sehee buried a laugh in her fist as they passed a woman perusing the makeup. 

“Baekhee didn’t say what kind she wanted,” Sehee mused as they came up to the _Sexual Health_ section.

“Wow, there are a lot of types,” Jungah observed, looking between lubed condoms, flavored condoms, ribbed condoms…

“What do you think?” Sehee asked, picking up a box with the word _magnum_ written across the front.

Jungah snickered. 

“There is no way Joonmyun needs a magnum,” Sehee said, and Jungah fought between a laugh and a grimace at thinking about Joonmyun in that context. But Sehee was just cackling to herself as she put the box back. 

“Should we text to ask?”

“If they need magnum?” Sehee snorted. “I am confident they don’t.”

“ _No!_ ,” Jungah laughed. “To ask what kind they want. Do they need lube? Flavor? I don’t know…”

“Well, we like Baekhee, right?” Sehee said, waiting for Jungah to reply in the affirmative. “How about these?”

The box Sehee was holding said _ribbed for her pleasure_ , and Jungah wheezed through a laugh as she collapsed against Sehee’s side in embarrassment. 

“This is more than I ever wanted to think about Baekhee’s and Joonmyun’s sex life,” she complained, face hot.

“Me too,” Sehee snorted. “I say we just get these and go.”

“Sounds good to me,” Jungah agreed. She was done trying to figure out which condoms would best serve her friends’ sexual escapades. 

With gummy candies in one hand and ribbed condoms in the other, Sehee started toward the register with Jungah in tow.

“This is cute,” Jungah said, stopping to look at a plush dog that was at least four feet tall.

“Should we get that, too?” Sehee teased. “We have quite the selection.”

“No,” Jungah sighed. She didn't need it. But it _was_ really cute. 

Sehee snickered, holding the condoms against her snacks with her thumb so she could reach out and ruffle Jungah’s slightly damp hair fondly with her free hand. 

Jungah was smiling as they stepped into the line to check out. But just as she was wondering why there was a line at three in the morning, the people in front of them turned and Jungah felt Sehee stiffen next to her.

“Hey, guys,” Sehee's ex (dubbed he-who-shall-not-be-named by Jungah when Sehee’s nickname for him, Piece of Shit Asshole, proved inappropriate in certain situations) said, casual as anything. As though he wasn’t greeting the girl he’d broken up with a month prior while standing next to the girl he’d left her for. “How’s it going?”

“Great,” Sehee replied stiffly. So, they weren’t freezing him out. That was good to know. Though Jungah didn’t know what to say to him because all she wanted to say to him was _how could you be so stupid?_

“Hey,” The Girl (her name was also modified by Jungah to be less controversial) greeted them, though to her credit, she looked a little uncomfortable, unlike he-who-shall-not-be-named. “Were you guys at Kibum’s party?”

“Uh huh,” Sehee answered at the same time Jungah nodded her head.

“We left a while ago, though,” Jungah added. 

“It, like, _just_ ended,” she told them. “But no one could find Kibum for the last hour and a half. Junghee and Eunsook were the ones kicking everybody out. And get this. No one could find _Minho_ either.”

“Not everyone in the whole student body was accounted for,” he-who-shall-not-be-named broke in, sounding annoyed like they had had this conversation already. “He probably just went home.”

“Yeah, but-”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” he sighed. “Minho is _straight_. I’ve played soccer with him since we were kids.”

“I’m not saying he’s not,” The Girl argued. “I’m just saying- why do you guys have condoms?”

It took a second for Jungah to realize that that part was directed at her and Sehee.

He-who-shall-not-be-named was looking at the condoms in Sehee’s hands and then looking between them like an explanation was going to come to him.

“What do the two of you need condoms for?” he finally asked on a laugh when no one said anything.

It was none of his business, for one. And who was to say Sehee didn’t have some guy waiting in the car or something? Why was he looking at them like they were a joke?

Jungah felt her blood heat at the Piece of Shit Asshole’s amused grin. He already broke up with Sehee a month before prom, and now he was going to ask her personal questions and laugh at her?

“Balloon animals,” Jungah blurted out before she could stop herself. “We need them because we’re going to make balloon animals.”

The Asshole started to chuckle again like she was making a joke that he could be in on, but when Jungah’s face remained stoic, he stopped and looked like he didn’t know if she was being serious or not. And good. Let him wonder. 

“Next in line,” the cashier called out, and the two shot them one more confused look before going up to pay for their purchases. 

“ _Balloon animals_ ,” Sehee whispered when they were out of earshot, and Jungah was relieved to hear the laughter in her voice. 

They were quiet after that as they waited their turn. 

It wasn’t until they were back in the car after checking out that Sehee spoke to her again.

“Thank you,” she breathed, plastic bag crinkling by her feet as she pulled her seatbelt across her body. 

“For what?” Jungah asked dumbly, turning the key in the ignition and pulling out of her spot.

“ _Balloon animals_ ,” Sehee repeated again, and her eyes were shining with mirth when Jungah looked over at her. “I kinda froze, so...thanks for that. That was good.”

“It was the first thing I could think of,” Jungah admitted, turning left out of the parking lot so they could make their delivery.

“Of course it was,” Sehee chuckled, and Jungah didn’t know if she should be offended, but when she glanced at Sehee, she was just smiling at her softly. Jungah hastily looked back at the road.

“How was-” she started after another few seconds of silence, not sure if she should even ask. “Are you okay?”

Sehee hadn’t talked to he-who-shall-not-be-named since they’d broken up, and she had done everything she could in the last month to avoid him at school. The chance meeting even had Jungah a little shaken up, so surely Sehee-

“I’m okay,” Sehee told her, and Jungah couldn’t help that she looked over at Sehee in shock. 

She’d been expecting anger, sadness, swearing, or at the very least, an _I’m okay_ that sounded more like an _I’m not okay_. 

“Really,” Sehee added, giggling at little at Jungah’s surprise and gently nudging her face forward so she was watching where they were going. “I think...I don’t think I even miss him.”

The last part was said softly, so Jungah couldn’t even be sure she’d heard correctly over the hum of the engine and the sound of the tires against the street. But the last thing Jungah wanted to do was make Sehee repeat herself. Especially when she knew that she _had_ heard her, quiet as it had been.

“I’m still angry at him for what he did and how he did it,” Sehee went on, sounding like she was saying each thought as it came to her with the cadence of her speech. “But I’m not sad. I don’t miss him.”

They were quiet then- the sounds of the car the only noise to fill the space. 

“I don’t,” Sehee started again, words filling the whole car even though they were soft. “I don’t know how much I even actually liked him.”

There were a lot of different things Jungah was feeling at that admission. Of course, she was happy that Sehee wasn’t sad, but should she be happy that she had never even liked him? Should she feel a little nodule of warmth start to bloom in her chest that was was sending tendrils of relief down to the tips of her fingers?

At a stoplight, Jungah looked over at Sehee, needing to see her expression in light of what she had said.

With her eyes out the window, she looked thoughtful, but when she felt Jungah’s gaze and turned to her, her lips spread in a little smile.

“It’s a good thing, Jungah,” she said softly. “I know myself better now.”

Jungah wasn’t entirely sure she understood, but she smiled back anyway, glad that Sehee seemed at peace. 

The air wasn’t heavy with the sadness or anger that Jungah had expected after running into he-who-shall-not-be-named. But the atmosphere was still thick with something that was making it hard for her to speak. 

Then, a palpable shift and Sehee was snickering as she leaned across the center console to rest her forehead on Jungah’s shoulder. 

“ _Balloon animals_!” she crowed, and Jungah was laughing with her until her stomach hurt and she was worried her eyes were going to start to water and keep her from seeing the road. 

Driving in the dark, it felt like her and Sehee versus the world. But then again, that’s how it had always been.

 

\---

 

“My heros!” Baekhee exclaimed when Jungah and Sehee entered the lobby of the hotel.

With a tilt of her head, she motioned for them to follow her so they were gathered near the elevators instead of right in front of the front desk and the bored looking attendant. 

“Here,” Sehee said, handing the condoms to Baekhee.

“Thank you!” she trilled, examining the box when her fingers closed around it. “Ribbed for my pleasure? You shouldn't have!”

“Good call, Sehee,” Jungah snickered, and Baekhee threw her arms around Sehee in over exaggerated appreciation. 

“Ugh, don’t,” Sehee complained, trying to squirm away.

“Don’t be a homophobe,” Baekhee cackled, finally letting go. 

“What?” Sehee gaped. “I’m not! I don’t know where your hands have been! Actually. I _do_. So don’t touch me.”

“I’ve washed them since then!” Baekhee insisted, and then paused as though she was thinking through the validity of that statement. 

Sehee blanched, and Jungah couldn't help but giggle even though she pretty horrified on Sehee’s behalf. 

“How did you even run out, anyway,” Sehee grumbled- her words more of a judgmental statement than a question. 

“Well,” Baekhee sighed, “It’s a long story. You see, I put the last condom on my foot. For science. Actually...that was it. That’s the whole story.”

Sehee was squinting at her like she was insane as Jungah let out a startled laugh at the explanation.

“Anyway,” Baekhee spoke again, waving her hand as though that was all it would take to have them forgetting that she’d stuck a condom on her foot. “You guys are seriously life savers! I will pay you back on Monday.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Sehee replied with mostly put upon annoyance at the same time Jungah told her _no problem_.

Baekhee grinned.

“Have...fun…” Jungah tried, regretting her choice of words immediately. Especially when Baekhee waggled her brows in response.

“We’re leaving,” Sehee announced, grabbing Jungah by the arm and dragging her toward the door.

“Thank you!” Baekhee called behind them, laughing.

“That was…” Jungah started as she unlocked the car and climbed in. 

“Scarring,” Sehee finished for her, and Jungah snorted. 

“Yes,” she agreed, buckling up and getting ready to drive. “Treehouse now?”

“Yeah,” Sehee replied, sitting back in het seat and stretching her arms over her head. 

Sehee didn't make a move to put the radio on or plug her phone back in, but that was okay. The night had been full of stimuli, so Jungah was content to just share the quiet with Sehee. 

“I’m not a homophobe,” Sehee announced out of nowhere when they were nearly to her street. 

Jungah raised her eyebrows, looking over at Sehee.

“I know?”

“I know. Just. Baekhee said before…” Sehee trailed off, looking down at her knees. 

“She was just being Baekhee,” Jungah assured her. “She doesn't think you are either.”

“I know,” Sehee said again. “I just wanted...nevermind.”

“...okay,” Jungah replied, but Sehee’s weird behavior had her heart picking up. 

Did Sehee think…? Had she realized…?

“Make sure to park a block or so away,” Sehee reminded Jungah, “so my parents don’t see your car.”

Jungah nodded, trying to shake off her anxiety. It was late. Sehee probably wasn't sending any sort of discreet message. She was probably just tired. 

They brought a sleeping bag to unzip and spread out over the wooden floor of the treehouse, and Jungah was hit with nostalgia as they got themselves settled. 

Freshman year, they had gone to Sehee’s house almost everyday after school and gone to sit in the treehouse whenever the weather was half decent. It was set back from the house and blocked from view by branches of other trees, so it was the most privacy they could get as fourteen year olds. They’d lug their school bags with their books and notebooks out with them, claiming that they were going to work on homework, but instead they’d usually end up talking until Jungah’s mom was texting her to ask where she was.

After they’d gotten their driver's licences and gained other ways of finding privacy from their parents, they had stopped spending time out in the treehouse that had heard about their crushes, bad tests, and tenuous future plans. 

Now, with only the dim light from the flashlight Jungah's mom kept in the glovebox, it felt all too surreal to be back.

“I’m really tired,” Jungah chuckled, slumped against the flimsy wood wall. 

“Me too,” Sehee agreed. “Do you want to sleep?”

It might have been nearly four in the morning, and Jungah might have been exhausted, but she didn't want to sleep. It didn't feel like the night was over, yet. 

She shook her head.

“You can if you want, though,” Jungah quickly added. 

“No,” Sehee said. “I don’t want to sleep.”

They were both still, looking at each other, and Jungah felt her heart flip when Sehee’s smile flashed in the dark.

“Oh!” Sehee quietly exclaimed, picking up her phone from where it had been sitting in front of her. “I was going through my old computer the other day, and I found all these old pictures. I emailed myself one...lemme just...here!”

Sehee scooted over so she was pressed against Jungah's side as she held out her phone display for Jungah to see.

It took a second for her eyes to adjust to the brightness, but when they did, Jungah let out a surprised laugh.

The picture was from homecoming freshman year, the two of them with their faces close so Sehee could get them both in frame. At fourteen, they evidently thought that making kissy faces was super sexy, because that’s what they were doing as they looked into the camera, lips puckered and eyes wide.

“Oh my god,” Jungah wheezed, and Sehee giggled, taking her phone back, but not moving away. 

“We were so lame,” Sehee chuckled, and Jungah huffed out an agreement.

“We probably still are,” she mused, but Sehee made a sound like she was horribly offended.

“Speak for yourself!” she argued, and Jungah snickered even as Sehee elbowed her.

Their laughter tapered off, and they slid into a comfortable silence- taking the time to just breathe after all that had happened in the past almost twelve hours.

“I’m glad you asked me to go to prom with you,” Sehee said quietly after a couple of minutes. “It was really fun.”

“I’m glad you agreed to come!”

Sehee snickered, nudging Jungah in the side. 

They lapsed into silence again, but the air around them seemed to be buzzing. 

Looking out into the darkness, Jungah could see fireflies blinking, and she imagined that they were little sparks of electricity from the way the atmosphere felt. 

“You looked really gorgeous tonight, Jungah,” Sehee told her softly, and Jungah felt like the sparks caught her skin.

“You did, too,” she answered, hoping that Sehee knew that she really meant it, and that she wasn't just saying it because Sehee had complimented her. “I mean, you always do. You still do.”

“ _Jungah_ ,” Sehee huffed out, an admonishment, but when their eyes caught, Jungah felt like the air was stolen out of her lungs. 

Sehee was just looking at her, which had happened probably hundreds of thousands of times, but this time it was different, and Jungah couldn't look away. 

And then, as though she was living in a dream, Sehee leaned forward and connected their lips. 

There was electricity rolling over Jungah's skin from just the light brush, and her brain was still several steps behind. 

“What...are you doing?” Jungah breathed when Sehee pulled back.

She asked because her mind was trying to grasp what had just happened. But Sehee’s expression went unsure, and Jungah felt panic rise up as Sehee started to lean away.

“I thought…” she started, face shuttering as she moved back. “I guess I didn’t-”

“No!” Jungah interrupted, holding onto Sehee’s arm so she couldn't retreat back to the other side of the treehouse. “I didn’t mean… You want to kiss me?”

“Well, considering I’ve been in love with you since sophomore year…” Sehee said on a self deprecating laugh, not meeting Jungah's eyes and trying to squirm her wrist out of Jungah's grasp.

“Sophomore year?” Jungah gaped, not letting go. “That’s two years!”

“I know,” Sehee replied, briefly meeting Jungah's gaze with a heaviness that Jungah hadn’t been prepared for.

In all her wildest dreams, including the ones she let herself indulge in some nights when she was trying to fall asleep, she never thought Sehee could really have feelings for her. 

“Jungah, please let go. I shouldn't have said anything,” Sehee said when Jungah still hadn’t responded or loosened her grip. “Just forget it.”

It was with horror that Jungah registered the shake in Sehee’s voice. And no, that’s not- She hadn’t meant to-

“But I love you too!” Jungah blurted out, the fear of making Sehee cry greater than the fear of being transparent about her feelings. 

Sehee stopped trying to pull her arm back, head snapping up but otherwise not moving at all as she regarded Jungah. 

“Like, as a friend or…” she finally prompted, expression still closed. 

“That,” Jungah cleared her throat. “That too, but now would be kind of a shitty time to make that proclamation.”

“So…” Sehee started, still seeming unsure.

Taking a deep breath, Jungah gathered her courage. This was it. This was the moment she never thought would come wherein she truly admitted how she felt about her very best friend.

“More than a friend,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady. “I love you as more than a friend, Sehee.”

It took a moment for Sehee to respond, like it took an extra second for her brain to process what Jungah had said. 

“Oh my god,” Sehee breathed, looking at Jungah like she’d turned her world upside down. But really, she had, and she knew that. Because Sehee had turned hers upside down, too.

“Yeah,” Jungah agreed, still not completely comprehending that they were having this conversation. 

“How long?” Sehee demanded, and Jungah shrugged.

“I mean, I know when I realized it, but I’m sure I loved you before that,” she explained, almost feeling like she was outside herself as she casually discussed the feelings she’d been swallowing.

“When did you realize?” Sehee asked, which was the natural follow up question. 

“Remember when my mom and I moved into the apartment?” Jungah started, self conscious under Sehee’s unwavering stare. “And you helped me decorate and you stayed over? That’s when I realized…”

Sehee’s eyes softened, lips curving up at the memory, maybe. 

“When did you…?” Jungah ventured. 

“It’s so stupid,” Sehee said with a self conscious chuckle. “Remember when we went bowling and it was you and Chanyeon versus Baekhee and me?”

Jungah nodded, though she couldn't think of anything special that had happened that day.

“Well, first, I was kind of annoyed that we weren't on the same team, and Chanyeon was being all clingy with you, which was making it worse,” Sehee explained, huffing out an embarrassed little giggle. “And you kept getting gutter balls and laughing at yourself, and you were so cute. I just wanted to kiss you...and then I realized I really did want to kiss you.” 

Sehee had said sophomore year already, but it was still unbelievable to think that all this time, she’d had feelings for Jungah. Before Jungah had realized her own feelings, even. 

“But you had a boyfriend…” Jungah pointed out, feeling kind of dumb for doing so, but also still just trying to make sense of it all. 

“I tried to like him as much as I liked you,” Sehee confessed. “I just never thought you would… But even when I was with him, I would think about what it would be like if I was with you instead. I never… It’s why I don’t miss him. Because it was never him, for me. I never liked him like I like you...like I love you.”

Even in the dark, Jungah could tell that Sehee’s cheeks were pink- gaze a little embarrassed, but eyes still shining with the same disbelieving hope that Jungah could feel bubbling in her own chest. 

They were stuck there, looking at each other and staring the truth in the face that they had never really seen before. 

Sehee giggled self consciously, eyes curving up, and Jungah felt so fond that she thought her heart might squeeze its way right out of her throat. 

Jungah thought that she might have leaned in first, but she couldn't be sure. It didn't matter though, because all Jungah could focus on was the fact that she was kissing Sehee, and Sehee was kissing her back.

The feeling of Sehee’s hand cupping the back of her neck had Jungah shivering, and Sehee’s tongue touched against her lower lip, seemingly in response. 

Heat swamped Jungah fast enough that her head spun. She felt like Sehee was all over her as their tongues met, body throbbing and making Jungah forget to be nervous as she gripped Sehee’s shoulder and pressed forward to deepen the kiss.

This was everything she’d ever wanted that she never let herself believe she could have. So convinced that it would never happen, Jungah had only ever let herself imagine this in the abstract- thinking of kissing a thin girl with blonde hair without acknowledging her as Sehee. She’d told herself she was just working through her sexuality and exploring her attraction to girls since she’d spent her early high school years thinking about kissing boys. 

And while realizing she was bisexual was certainly a significant thing, it didn't feel as huge as the discovery that she was in love with her best friend. 

Jungah reached out to get her hand on Sehee’s ribs, pulling her closer without even making the conscious decision to do so. With Sehee’s warmth against her palm, she just wanted that heat against her. 

Scooting in, Sehee’s hand slid over Jungah’s stomach, and Jungah couldn't help the gasp she let out against Sehee’s mouth. Sehee’s hand moved up her side, and tentatively brushed the side of her breast against her bra.

It was with an amount of surprise discordant with the fact that they were already making out that Jungah realized that they were alone with their hands on each other and shared feelings. They could do anything. If she and Sehee both wanted to…

Jungah must have frozen because Sehee pulled back, studying Jungah's face. “Sorry,” she said. “I-”

“No,” Jungah protested, holding Sehee’s hand where it was, and not even thinking about how eager it made her seem until after she’d done it. But the way Sehee was looking at her, like she was just as overwhelmed and drunk on the situation as Jungah was, had her beyond caring. 

“Can I?” Sehee asked, movements slow like they were underwater as she slid her hand so she was properly cupping Jungah’s breast through her shirt and bra. It didn't feel like much since her bra had a little bit of padding, but just knowing that Sehee was touching her- that Sehee _wanted_ to touch her- had Jungah's heart picking up.

Jungah nodded, swallowing as Sehee’s thumb stroked against her nipple through the material. 

Their eyes met, and Jungah felt a nervous giggle get lodged in her throat. Sehee’s lips quirked a little, like she was feeling the same thing, but the heaviness of the situation kept them both focused. 

“You can…” Jungah started, wondering if she should be so presumptuous as to-

Keeping eye contact, Sehee’s hand snuck up Jungah's shirt- pausing on her waist before running along the underwire of her bra. When she didn't protest, Sehee wiggled a finger underneath, but they both knew that wasn't an effective way to get under a bra.

“Can I just-” Sehee started at the same time Jungah said, “I can-”

They shared a breathy little giggle then, breaking the tension as Jungah reached behind herself to unclasp her bra under her shirt and pull it out through the sleeve. 

Her shirt wasn't tight or anything, but her nipples peaked the soft fabric, and she knew Sehee could see that.

“So it’s fair,” Sehee was saying before Jungah could start to squirm under Sehee’s focused stare, reaching behind herself and working to pull her bra off under her shirt.

Her breasts were a bit smaller than Jungah's, something she liked to complain about, but Jungah had never thought they were inferior. Their outline was visible under Sehee's slightly more fitted crop top, and Jungah felt like her mouth went dry as she fought the urge to just reach out and feel. 

“You can…” Sehee said, scooting forward and repositioning her legs so they overlapped Jungah's and allowed them to be closer.

Like she was in some sort of trance, even as there was a teeny voice in the back of her head that was still on _holy shit holy shit holy shit_ , Jungah reached out and cradled Sehee’s left breast in her hand. So soft, so warm through the fabric- nipple hard and pressing against her palm.

Sehee was watching what she was doing with parted lips, breath jumping when Jungah rubbed against her nipple with her thumb.

Like she had only just remembered that Jungah had shed her bra as well, both of Sehee’s hands landed on Jungah's breasts- hefting the weight in her cradling palms and making Jungah's skin tingle from just the drag of fabric over her nipples.

“Under,” Sehee said breathlessly, and Jungah didn't know if she was asking if she could touch Jungah under her shirt until she added, “you can-”

She was telling Jungah she could touch her. And Jungah definitely wanted to. 

Sehee’s lips pressed to hers as Jungah’s hand slipped under the thin material of her shirt, gasping against her mouth when Jungah made contact with her breast with no barrier.

Pausing with her fingers on Jungah's sides under her t-shirt, Sehee waited for the _yeah_ breathed into the kiss before she was cupping Jungah’s breasts and stroking her nipples with her thumbs.

Letting out a shuddering breath against Sehee’s lips, Jungh listed forward as they kissed- running the pads of her fingers against Sehee’s stiff nipples and listening to her breathing change. 

Sehee’s hands on her and her lips dragging over her own had Jungah's entire body throbbing, head light with want. She had never been so turned on in her life, even when she let herself imagine long hair dragging against the insides of her thighs as she touched herself and buried her gasps into her pillow at night.

When Sehee’s lips left her mouth, Jungah thought maybe she wanted to stop, but instead she was pressing kisses to her jaw and down the side of her neck. With her nipples being worried between Sehee’s fingers and Sehee's lips against her pulse point, Jungah was helpless to stop the _oh god_ she gusted out. A moan was hummed against her throat in response, and Jungah dragged her nails lightly against Sehee’s areolas to try to get another sound pressed into her skin.

Moving slightly so she could reach Sehee’s chest more comfortably, Jungah felt the way her underwear was sticking to her from how wet she was. She’d never gotten off with someone before. She’d barely made out before that night. This was all new to her, but at the same time, it felt familiar because it was Sehee. Jungah was nervous about the prospect of going further than they already had, but at the same time, she wanted that so badly. That didn't mean Sehee did, though. Even with the way she was arching into Jungah's hands as she pressed hot kisses against her neck. 

Sehee shifted, and Jungah noticed the way her hips were rocking from the slight movement against her thigh. It wasn't as though she was rutting against anything, and the motion was so small, Jungah imagined she must not have even been doing it on purpose. But the fact that she was turned on enough for her body to be trying to get contact… Jungah shivered with that knowledge.

“ _Jungah_ ,” Sehee breathed against her throat, and all Jungah could get out in response was a shaky inhalation. 

The warm press of lips against her skin disappearing was not what Jungah wanted, but Sehee looking at her with glassy eyes was no less heady.

“I’ve wanted this for so long,” she said, hands smoothing along Jungah's ribs. “I might get carried away. You should stop me if-”

“I don't want you to stop,” Jungah told her, cheeks hot from arousal as well as a little bit of embarrassment at being so forward. But her hands were cupping Sehee’s breasts, so she figured forward was probably the only way to be. “Unless you do.”

Shaking her head, Sehee made a sound if dissent in her throat. “No, _god_ ,” Sehee groaned, pressing a kiss to Jungah’s lips. “I’m so hot. I want-”

Jungah wasn't the type to just act without hesitating and wondering if she was making the right choice, but Sehee sounding so strung out with arousal was doing something to her brain. Because before Sehee could even finish telling her what she wanted, Jungah put her hand against the inside of Sehee’s thigh and nearly swallowed her tongue at the way Sehee's hips flexed forward. 

“ _Oh_ ,” Sehee gusted, grip tightening on Jungah's hips and eyes searching hers. “You sure?”

“Yeah,” Jungah nodded, anticipation flowing through her and almost making her hands tremble. “I want to.”

“We said we’d lose our virginity on prom night,” Sehee said with a quirk of her lips and a little giggle.

“You’ve already…” Jungah started, confused, but stopping partway through her statement when she realized she probably shouldn't have been talking about that now.

“Not with you,” Sehee told her decisively. “I haven't lost my virginity to you. Yet.”

Logistically, Jungah wasn't quite sure how that worked, but it still had heat swamping her even as her heart swelled so full she thought it might burst.

Sehee popped the button on her jean shorts, and Jungah could do nothing but stare as Sehee lifted onto her knees to push the tight denim over her hips. 

When they had changed out of their dresses, Jungah had seen Sehee’s purple underwear. It had felt intimate then, even, with the ghost of Sehee’s hands on her leg. But now… Jungah swallowed as she stared at the way the waistband stretched from hipbone to hipbone.

“I’m gonna keep these on,” Sehee told her, tossing her shorts to the other side of the treehouse. “I mean, we’re outside, and I know that no one else is around, but…”

Jungah could understand Sehee’s trepidation. And she certainly wasn't about to complain. Sehee, in a pair of underwear and a crop top with no bra, was obscenely sexy. If she took off anything else, Jungah wondered if she wouldn't just faint. 

“Um…” Sehee started, getting a knee on either side of Jungah's thighs. “Is this okay?”

Feeling positively drunk on the fact that she was going to get Sehee off, Jungah could do nothing but nod- gaze moving from Sehee’s pale thighs to the way her nipples were protruding under her shirt to her questioning and blown eyes. 

Sehee’s lips were against hers again, soft and puffy from kissing, and Jungah felt herself melt even as she slid a hand up Sehee's thigh and over her hip.

“God, Jungah, I want you so much,” Sehee murmured against her mouth, gasping when Jungah tentatively cupped her through her underwear.

And _god_ , the material was soaked. Sehee was just as worked up as she was, and Jungah felt herself pulse. 

“I’ve never…” Jungah fretted, feeling the way Sehee's thighs shook as she gently stroked against the fabric. Sehee had so much more experience than she did. It was with a boy, but still. 

“I’ve never gotten a girl off either,” Sehee reminded her, lips quirked but voice unsteady. 

“Yeah, but-”

“You’ve masturbated before, right?” Sehee asked, and despite herself, Jungah flushed as she nodded. “Just do like you do for yourself.”

The fabric slid against Sehee with how wet she was, hips twitching as Jungah rubbed her clit through the material.

“Fuck, Jungah,” Sehee groaned, rocking into Jungah's hand. “Touch me.”

Nearly holding her breath, Jungah slid her fingers into the waistband of Sehee’s underwear. 

Warm skin and then slick. Sehee shaved or waxed or… Jungah remembered Sehee getting her bikini line waxed, but she hadn’t thought about if she waxed everything. That was… Jungah didn't have a preference, but everything she was learning about Sehee’s body was making the flames in her belly dance.

Though Jungah was struck with a new worry. 

“I don’t wax or shave or anything,” she blurted out, and Sehee looked at her like she had spoken Portuguese. Though the shiver that went through her as Jungah’s fingers slid against her was indicative of where her mind was.

“I don't care,” she chuckled, nudging Jungah's cheek playfully before gripping her shoulders tightly again. 

“Okay-” Jungah started, but got distracted by the whimper Sehee let out when she traced around her clit with her middle finger. 

“ _Yes_ ,” Sehee huffed out, mouth dropping open as Jungah continued rubbing against her clit.

She was the one making Sehee feel good like this. _She_ was the one who was allowed to touch Sehee, and _she_ was the one who was making Sehee’s breath stutter.

“ _Oh fuck_ ,” Sehee whined, fingers digging into Jungah’s shoulders hard enough to hurt. “I’ve wanted this for so long. I… _fuck_.”

Jungah had dipped her middle finger into Sehee’s opening just to see if she wanted that, and going by the tremble in her thighs and the pinch of her brows, she very much did.

The warmth clamping down on her finger had Jungah gusting out a breath, her own body pulsing.

“You can...two fingers,” Sehee requested even as she moved on the one Jungah had in her.

Jungah stayed still as Sehee held her wrist and sunk down onto two fingers, rolling her hips and positioning herself so her clit rubbed against the heel of Jungah’s hand. 

“ _Yeah, fuck_ ,” Sehee breathed, letting go of Jungah’s wrist to brace herself on her shoulders as she shamelessly rode Jungah’s fingers. 

Watching Sehee take her pleasure with her touch was the sexiest thing Jungah had ever seen. It was sexier than anything she had ever imagined, and she was throbbing just watching Sehee’s face and feeling the way her body was gripping her fingers. Curling them like she did for herself, Jungah watched Sehee’s face and knew immediately when she had found the right angle by the tremulous moan that Sehee let out.

“God, _Jungah_ ,” Sehee gasped. “That’s so good. I’m so close. Oh _fuck_. Oh my god. _Fuck fuck fuck_.”

Jungah could feel the building tension in Sehee’s body as she chased her release, the slide around her fingers so slick and tight and her clit stiff from stimulation and straining against her palm.

“Oh god, Jungah,” Sehee whimpered. “I’m coming, I’m com- _ah_!”

With Sehee’s exclamation and the rippling of muscles around Jungah's fingers, Jungah gasped as though she was the one feeling the pleasure. And with the way her own body was pulsing and clenching, she nearly was. Just the fact that she had two fingers inside of Sehee and that she was reason Sehee was caught in the throes of orgasm was enough to have Jungah groaning as Sehee’s clit trembled against her hand. 

“Oh fuck, oh shit,” Sehee breathed as she began to come down, body still twitching against Jungah’s softening touches. 

“Wow,” Jungah choked out, slowly extracting her hand from Sehee’s panties. “That was amazing.”

“Isn’t that my line?” Sehee snickered, body pliant as she leaned into Jungah before gingerly easing herself down next to her.

“Yeah, but...wow,” Jungah babbled, entire body throbbing. She felt like one touch would set her off, even the rub of her underwear against her as she shifted making explosions of sensitivity erupt all over.

Giggling, Sehee notched her face against Jungah's neck, and even that had Jungah's body clenching desperately. Sehee’s lips pressed to her skin, and Jungah couldn't help the whine she let out.

“Can I touch you?” Sehee asked, and Jungah nodded hard in case the shiver at those words wasn't telling enough. 

Sehee’s eyelids dipped closed as she leaned in and kissed Jungah, hands slipping down her body and leaving goosebumps in their wake. 

When she popped the button on Jungah's jean shorts, Jungah obediently lifted her hips so Sehee could take them off. 

The first touch of Sehee’s fingertips against her through her underwear had Jungah having to rip away from Sehee’s mouth to suck in a desperate lungful of air.

“You’re so wet,” Sehee marvelled, rubbing at her and making the fabric slide against her. 

Jungah almost wanted to be embarrassed at how hot she’d gotten from fingering Sehee, but Sehee didn’t seem like she was passing judgment. Her expression in the dim light was one of awe as she watched Jungah's expression change with her touches.

It was good she wasn’t feeling self conscious because Sehee's fingers were slipping into the crotch of her panties before she could even brace herself. Though with the pleasure that bloomed through her, she figured she might have forgotten to be embarrassed anyway.

“ _Mmm, Jungah_ ,” Sehee hummed as she dragged Jungah's wetness up to her clit so her touches against her were so soft and slick that Jungah wanted to sob with it. 

“It’s- I’m not- I can't-” Jungah tried, but was derailed each time she started a thought with the way her thighs were jerking with every pass of Sehee's fingers. 

“‘s fine,” Sehee murmured against Jungah’s jaw as she pressed warm kisses there that were doing nothing to slow the urgent ramp up her body was doing. 

Jungah had probably been going to tell Sehee that she wasn't going to last, and it seemed that Sehee had figured that out, whether from her aborted attempts at speech or the insistent pulse against her fingers. 

“You’re so fucking gorgeous,” Sehee continued, lips against her ear making Jungah shiver. “I can’t believe we’re-”

Apparently she was not the only one who was having difficulty finishing her sentences. 

“I used to think about this all the time,” Sehee quietly confessed, though it sounded more like a verbal urging of Jungah's pleasure than a shy admittance. “I still do. When I…”

Sehee broke off, forehead pressed to the side of Jungah's neck as Jungah tried to listen over the rushing in her ears. 

“When I masturbate,” Sehee started again, “I think about you. This.”

It was sheer force of will that kept Jungah from careening off the edge at that, wanting to hold on long enough to really enjoy- long enough to hear what else Sehee had to say.

“I’d always imagine you were touching yourself at the same time,” Sehee went on, apparently encouraged by Jungah's helpless moan. “I’d try to imagine what you were thinking about, and what your face would look like when you came.”

Jungah whimpered, body flashing hot and breath feeling like it was ripped from her lungs.

“Gonna-” she wheezed, fingers digging into Sehee’s wrist as her body pulsed and pleasure washed over her skin.

The orgasm that swamped her was overwhelming- Sehee's fingers unrelenting and her lips pressing to her neck as Sehee murmured encouragements. She was drowning in Sehee, and her release peaked twice with jolts of bone shattering pleasure that left her groaning in overstimulation and huffing out shallow breaths as Sehee finally gentled her touches. 

Whining quietly against Sehee's shoulder as she tried to remember how to manage basic functions like breathing, Jungah felt her heart flutter at the arm Sehee had wrapped tight around her. 

“You’re gorgeous when you come, by the way,” Sehee told her, and Jungah choked out an embarrassed whimper and weakly pushed at Sehee's leg.

Sehee was laughing, and Jungah's head was still spinning from her orgasm and the realization that Sehee liked her, too. Loved her, even.

“That was a compliment!” Sehee insisted, grabbing at Jungah's wrist and trying to get even closer even though that didn’t seem likely to be possible. 

“You’re embarrassing,” Jungah complained, face hot even though there was truly no need to be self conscious considering Sehee had literally just brought her to orgasm. 

Everything that had happened since they’d entered the treehouse was so surreal. The whole night had been surreal. And yet here they were- pressed together in just their underwear, and Jungah was still trying to fight through the haze of her post orgasm buzz. Everything was pointing to this actually happening.

“Yeah, but you love me,” Sehee teased, but the giggle got caught in her throat as the meaning of those words dawned on her.

Of course they’d loved each other before. So that statement would have been accurate before their recent confessions. But it held so much more weight now. 

“Is this really happening?” Sehee asked softly, licking her lips nervously as her fingers flexed around Jungah’s arm, though she didn’t let go. 

“If you want it to be,” Jungah cautiously replied. She knew it was silly to be worried that Sehee was going to suddenly decide that she didn’t have feelings for Jungah after all. But she couldn’t help the disbelief that was still holding her heart hostage.

“Well, yeah,” Sehee said on an anxious chuckle. “I wasn’t full of it when I said I was in love with you.”

The last part of the sentence came out stilted, and Jungah hated how unsure Sehee seemed, as though Jungah would ever, _could_ ever, turn her down. 

“I wasn’t either,” Jungah told her, forcing herself to make eye contact even as her heart threatened to break through her ribs. “I’m in love with you too.”

It was like that affirmation siphoned the tension out of Sehee’s body at her proclamation, and before Jungah could even figure out what she should follow up with, Sehee’s lips were against hers again. But instead of the desperate kisses that accompanied their frenzied touches, it was just the softest brush and press, and Jungah felt like her her body lit up with the contact. 

“Are we dating now?” Jungah dumbly mumbled against Sehee's lips when she pulled back just enough to breathe. 

Sehee snickered, warm breath against Jungah's face and eyes curving in her periphery.

“I sure hope so,” she said, and Jungah giggled, too, before accepting the eager kisses Sehee was pressing against her lips.

“That’s good,” she offered, and Sehee laughed against her mouth, hand curled warm around the back of her neck. 

The kiss Sehee pressed to her cheek had Jungah grinning. 

Magic happened on prom night after all. 

 

\---

 

“Can’t believe the sun is coming up,” Sehee observed, curled up next to Jungah in the sleeping bag they’d brought with her nose smashed into Jungah's cheek. 

For the past hour or so, the two had been twined together- alternately dozing and murmuring to each other in the dark. 

Additional confessions had come out in the safety of each other’s embrace- Jungah's jealousy of Sehee’s ex that she had stomped down as flat as it would go, Sehee’s extensive catalogue of fantasies she’d had over the years, the little flutter of _what if_ they’d both had at the prospect of going to prom together. 

And now, with Sehee pressed so warm against her and Jungah's heart feeling so full she wanted to shout, morning light was starting to come in through the windows in the treehouse. 

The arrival of morning was like the breaking of the spell that had hung over them all night. Prom night was over. It had all seemed like a dream, and Jungah wasn’t sure whether the fact that all that had happened was about to bleed over into real life was more exciting or nerve-wracking. 

It wasn’t as though there weren’t any queer people in their school. Kibum was as out as they came, and Junghee had been open about the fact that she was pansexual for over a year. But to Jungah’s knowledge, there hadn’t been any same sex relationships between two people in their year. Or school, for that matter. But there was less than a month left of their high school careers. Even if everyone was absolutely awful about it, they were in the home stretch. Jungah didn’t think others finding out would be that bad, though. And Sehee could be stubborn when she wanted to be- not letting the views of others dictate her actions. 

Still, sometime during the last hour of darkness before the sun began its ascent, they’d decided to just tell their closest friends first and see how that went. Of course they ran the risk of someone blabbing (“Baekhee has the biggest mouth of anyone I’ve ever met,” Sehee had snickered into Jungah’s shoulder), but it wouldn’t be the end of the world. Because, like everything from the moment they met until that very second, they were in it together. 

“We can’t go home yet,” Sehee yawned. “Our parents wouldn’t believe we woke up at the crack of dawn the morning after prom.”

“We probably shouldn’t stay here, though,” Jungah worried, stroking along Sehee’s side and smiling to herself at the way Sehee was arching into the touch. “What if your parents notice we’re out here?”

Sehee hummed in agreement, pressing a line of sweet kisses to Jungah’s cheek before cramming her face against the skin of Jungah’s neck. 

As though it felt the need to chime in, Jungah’s stomach chose that moment to gurgle, and Sehee’s giggles against her throat were immediate. 

“Breakfast?” she suggested, pulling back to look Jungah in the face- lips still pulling up in amusement. 

“Yeah,” Jungah agreed, suddenly aware of how hungry she was. “I think that place on the corner of Main Street opens at 5.”

“Perfect,” Sehee said with a grin, leaning in and pressing a kiss to Jungah’s lips before groaning as she made moves to get up. 

They rolled up the sleeping bag and stiffly climbed down the ladder in the dawn’s light. 

It felt like the first day of the rest of their lives to Jungah. And with Sehee by her side, hands clasped between them, Jungah was ready.


End file.
